Prof. Vernon R.N. Chinene was in March, 2024 appointed by the Minister of Education as Inaugural Vice Chancellor of Palabana University. Prior to this appointment he was serving as Professor of Agronomy and Soil Science at the University of Zambia. Prof. Chinene holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences degree from the University of Zambia which he obtained with Merit in 1976, a Master of Science degree in Soil Science and Water Management which he obtained from the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands in 1979 and a PhD in Agronomy and Soil Science which he obtained in 1983 from the University of Hawaii in the United States of America. He started his academic career as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Zambia in 1979. From 1989 to 1997, he served as Dean of the School of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Zambia, a position he held for nearly 9 years. In 2008, he was appointed as Inaugural Vice Chancellor at Mulungushi University and served in that capacity for nearly 5 years. His research interests are in assessment of suitability of land for agricultural purposes, analyzing impact of climate change on farming systems and food security and establishing relationships between soil test values and crop production outputs. He has over the years supervised several Masters and PhD students in his areas of specialization. In his private life, Prof. Chinene is a farmer in Namwala district of southern Province. His interests are mainly in livestock production, with crop production as a supporting enterprise in value addition to livestock production.