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Issue 52 | May 2009
Dr Jeff Ellis, Plant Industry
Program Leader, Genetic
Engineering for Plant
Improvement
Photo by Carl Davies
Plant Industry scientist Jeff Ellis, has been elected Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his work toward understanding the molecular basis of plant immunity to diseases caused by rust fungi.
Scientific excellence is the main criterion for election and Jeff was nominated for his work in identifying the two key genes that determine whether plants are infected by rust fungi.
Rust is a devastating crop disease which, in epidemic years, can cause yield losses in cereal crops of AUD$7.8 billion worldwide and threatens world food security.
Jeff is pleased that the significance of the work carried out by him and his team is being recognised internationally.
Founded in 1660, the Royal Society is the national academy of science for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, and the world's oldest scientific academy. Jeff is in good company when he joins the prestigious Society. Eminent Fellows include Isaac Newton, David Attenborough, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, and CSIRO Fellow Jim Peacock.
Jeff has worked at Plant Industry in Canberra since 1982, researching gene regulation and host-rust disease interactions in plants. Much of this work has been supported by the Australian grains industry through grants from the Grains Research and Development Corporation [external link].
