Welcome Prof. Kadambot H. M. Siddique as Editor-in-Chief of Food Ecology

OAE's Food Ecology, a brand-new international open access journal dedicated to advancing holistic research at the interface of food systems, ecology, agriculture, sustainability, and environmental resilience, is honored to announce the appointment of Prof. Kadambot H. M. Siddique as its Editor-in-Chief. Prof. Siddique is Professor of Agriculture, Director of The University of Western Australia (UWA) Institute of Agriculture, Perth, Australia, and a recipient of China's Honorary Presidential Medal.

Prof. Siddique is internationally recognized for his pioneering contributions to crop science, dryland agriculture, and the sustainability of global food systems. His distinguished career, spanning more than three decades, integrates groundbreaking research, visionary institutional leadership, and extensive global engagement in agricultural research and development.

An influential scholar on the international stage, Prof. Siddique has authored more than 1,000 research publications and secured over USD 80 million in competitive research funding. He has led and shaped several major research institutions, including the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA), the International Centre for Plant Breeding Education and Research (ICPBER), and the UWA Institute of Agriculture. Through these platforms, he has cultivated broad international collaborations across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Mediterranean region, producing high-impact research programs, joint publications, and long-term capacity-building initiatives that contribute directly to global food and ecological security.

Among his many achievements, Prof. Siddique has played a foundational role in strengthening the Australian chickpea industry. His research in crop adaptation, breeding, and agronomy has helped deliver multiple commercial grain-legume cultivars, supporting an industry valued at hundreds of millions of dollars annually. His scientific and technological contributions have been widely recognized with prestigious honors such as Member of the Order of Australia (AM), Citizen of Western Australia (CitWA), Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE), Fellow of the Australian Institute of Agriculture (FAIA), Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FNAAS), Fellow of the International Society for Plant Pathology (FISPP), Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (FAAS), and Fellow of Pakistan Academy of Sciences (FPAS), reflecting his standing as one of the world's leading agricultural scientists.

The Editorial Office of Food Ecology extends its deepest appreciation to Prof. Siddique for accepting this leadership role. We are confident that under his guidance, and with the collaborative support of the Editorial Board, Food Ecology will grow into a high-impact journal, shaping global discourse on food-system sustainability and ecological stewardship.

Editor: Mehak Nawaz Khan
Language Editor: Catherine Yang
Production Editor: Ting Xu
Respectfully Submitted by the Editorial Office of Food Ecology