UQ botanist receives prestigious national science award

University of Queensland botanist Professor John Irwin has been awarded a Clunies Ross National Science and Technology Award for 2002.

The annual award honours Australians who have played a leading role in applying science and identifies role models for the next generation of scientists.

The 2002 Award recognises Professor Irwin’s important contribution to understanding agricultural plant diseases.

His research into the genetics of plant-parasite interactions and general plant pathology has led to an improvement in pasture crop varieties resulting in substantial production increases for Australia’s beef industry.

Professor Irwin was appointed to The University of Queensland in 1982. He is presently CEO for the UQ-based Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Plant Protection – a joint venture between UQ, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, CSIRO, RhoBio (a private company), Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations, the Australian National University, NT Department of Business, Industry & Resource Development, the Northern Territory University, and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry - Australia.

The Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Foundation presented the award to Professor Irwin at a function in Melbourne on March 7.

Media: For more information contact Professor Irwin (tel. 0402 918 484), Corinna Lange (tel. 0401 996 587) or Peter McCutcheon at UQ Communications (tel. 07 3365 1088)