Roger Slack Award 2015

The recipient of the 2015 Roger Slack Award is Dr Andrew Allan, for research on the transcriptional regulation of plant pigments

Andrew’s research examines plant responses to the environment via the transcriptional regulation of key molecular pathways. An understanding of these responses can lead to improvements in plant growth, and the breeding of new cultivars for NZ plant based industries. Andrew’s work on a variety of cultivated plants has led to significant discoveries concerning transcriptional regulation of the anthocyanin, carotenoid, and chlorophyll content of fruits, flowers and vegetables. His research has been published in top plant science journals and his standing in the field is reflected by a number of active international research collaborations with investigators from Italy, China, Thailand, Spain, South Africa, The Netherlands, Australia, and America. Andrew gained his PhD in 1992 at Cambridge University. Returning to NZ in 1997 he joined Plant and Food Research, and began lecturing at Auckland University in 2003. He is Director for the Joint Graduate School in Plant and Food Science, project leader for several genomics programmes, and full Professor in two Chinese Universities (and yes that is the Great Wall he is standing on in the image above). In 2002, Andrew was awarded the NZSPB Outstanding Physiologist Award, the predecessor to the Roger Slack Award, for research conducted within 10 years of gaining his PhD.

Andrew will be presented with his award at Combio 2015, where he will give a plenary address on his recent research.