After completing a Degree in Agricultural Sciences (Ing. Agr.) at the University of Uruguay, Uruguay and PhD from the University of Heidelberg (Dr rer nat) and Max-Planck-Institute of Cell Biology in Heidelberg, Germany, Professor Spangenberg undertook postdoctoral research at the Max-Planck-Institute of Cell Biology and the Institute of Plant Sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland.
Professor Spangenberg held positions as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor at the ETH Zürich where he obtained his DSc in AgriBiotechnology (venia legendi PD), before joining Agriculture Victoria in Melbourne, Australia where he held positions as Director, Plant Biotechnology Centre; Research Director, Plant Genetics & Genomics; Executive Director, Biosciences Research; Deputy Secretary, Agriculture Research; Chief Scientist, Molecular Plant Breeding Cooperative Research Centre; Chief Scientist, Dairy Futures Cooperative Research Centre; Director, DairyBio; Director, DairyFeedbase; Managing Director, AgGenomics Pty. Ltd.; Chief Scientific Officer of Gramina Pty. Ltd.; Director and Chief Scientific Officer of Phytogene Pty. Ltd.
Professor Spangenberg was Head, Agriculture Victoria Research for Agriculture Victoria; Professor (Plant Genetics & Genomics) and Head of School of Applied Systems Biology with La Trobe University; and Director of AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience.
Professor Spangenberg is Emeritus Professor with La Trobe University, Australia; Distinguished Professor with Qingdao Agricultural University, China; and Managing Director of consulting business uniqueAG.
He was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2007; was the recipient of the Australian Thinker of Year 2006 Award and the Leloir Prize 2021. He is Past President of the International Association for Plant Biotechnology.
On Australia Day 2017, Professor Spangenberg was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service through scientific research programs in the agricultural sector in Victoria.
email:
g.spangenberg@agrisapiens.com.au
Co-Founder
Prof. German Spangenberg
Dr. Jighly, a visionary scientist and leader in agricultural innovation, holds a PhD in Computational Biology from La Trobe University, Australia. He has over a decade of experience in revolutionising breeding programs through innovative statistical modeling and interdisciplinary collaboration. As the co-founder of AgriSapiens, he has spearheaded multidisciplinary research efforts, strategically integrating genomics, phenomics, multi-omics, AI, and digital agriculture to develop groundbreaking statistical solutions for improving agriculture and predictive genetics.
Previously, Dr. Jighly served as the Research Leader for the Computational Biology team at Agriculture Victoria, Australia, where he managed diverse teams of over 25 members, from principal scientists to PhD students, steering projects that reshaped modern breeding programs. His expertise lies in developing novel statistical models like CGM-WGP, MetaGS, 3GS, and PolySIM, which integrate various data types to enhance selection decisions and advance predictive genetics, leaving a profound impact on the industry and research community.
In addition to his leadership and research roles, Dr. Jighly has been actively involved in academia, serving as a specialised lecturer at the University of Melbourne for agriculture students and mentoring numerous postgraduate and undergraduate students globally. He is also an influential figure in academic publishing, holding editorial roles in prestigious journals such as The Plant Genome Journal.
Dr. Jighly's dedication to transforming agriculture and shaping the next generation of scientists fuels his commitment to innovation in agriculture and predictive genetics.
