Our Business and Operations Manager Dr Don McCallum is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of Engineers Australia with over 30 years of experience. He brings a rich portfolio spanning university research, teaching, project and business management, and international development.

In his current role, Dr McCallum leads the strategic establishment and growth of the PSBA facility—an NCRIS-enabled national infrastructure that delivers synthetic biology services for oilseed and cereal crops, encompassing molecular design, gene editing and plant phenotyping. His ability to manage complex operations and infrastructure ensures the seamless deployment of advanced breeding platforms and facilities critical to the GRDC project scope.

Before joining PSBA, Dr McCallum served as Business Development Manager in ANU’s Office of Business Engagement and Commercialisation, where he bridged research and industry, unlocking collaborations, extensive government agency liaison and commercialization pathways. This experience gives him a proven edge in stakeholder engagement and research translation.

Dedicated to capacity building, Dr McCallum mentors operations and technical staff, embedding best practices in facility management, project delivery, and institutional knowledge retention. His leadership fosters continuity, ensures resilient operations, and strengthens the team’s capability to support next-generation breeding technologies over the long term.