He currently leads the NSW component of various National GRDC programs on improving wheat yields in sodic and dispersive soils, amelioration of sodic and acidic soils and understanding crop responses to modern fertilisation techniques with a focus on improving subsoil fertility.

Dr Tavakkoli is also involved in the development of various approaches that employ synchrotron techniques in soils which allow highly spatially-resolved in situ analyses to be performed. He has close relationships with growers, advisers and grower groups across Australia and participated in numerous field days and GRDC updates in south-eastern Australia. He is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at The University of Adelaide and Charles Sturt University and a visiting Research Fellow at CSIRO Land & Water.