Allen Kerr (21 May 1926 – 14 December 2023) was a Scottish-born Australian biologist. He served as Professor of

Plant Pathology Plant pathology or phytopathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Plant pathology involves the study of pathogen identification, disease ...

at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

. His most significant work was his study of crown gall — a plant cancer induced by Agrobacterium tumerfaciens.

Biography

Kerr was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

on 21 May 1926 Ane gained a B.Sc. degree at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. From 1947-1951 he was an assistant

Mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

at the North of Scotland College of Agriculture. In 1951 he immigrated to Adelaide, South Australia to take up the position of lecturer of Plant Patholoy at the University of Adelaide. Between 1951 and his retirement, he held several positions at the University including Senior Lecturer, Reader in Plant Pathology, Head of the Department of Plant Pathology in 1990, and Head of the Department of Crop Protection in 1990. In 1978, he was elected

Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science The Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science is made up of about 500 Australian scientists. Scientists judged by their peers to have made an exceptional contribution to knowledge in their field may be elected to Fellowship of the Academy ...

. From 1978-1983 he was Vice-President of the International Society for Plant Pathology and from 1980-1983 he was President of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society. In 1986 he was elected

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. In 1990 he received the inaugural Australia Prize for his work with

plant genetics Plant genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity specifically in plants. It is generally considered a field of biology and botany, but it intersects with numerous life sciences, including molecular biology, evolutionary biolog ...

and biology. Kerr celebrated his 90th birthday in 2016. He died in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

on 14 December 2023, at the age of 97.

Awards

* 1978 - Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

(FAA) * 1978 - Walter Buffitt Prize of the Royal Society of New South Wales * 1982 - Ruth Allen Award of the American Phytopathological Society * 1986 - Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) * 1990 - Inaugural Australia Prize1990 Australia Prize
, sciencegrants.dest.gov.au * 1991 - Foreign Associate of the

US National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Natio ...

* 1991 - Elvin Charles Stackman Award of the University of Minnesota * 1992 - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) * 1995 - Fellow of the

Australasian Plant Pathology Society The Australasian Plant Pathology Society (APPS) is a scientific association whose members study plant diseases. Its members are located in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and also the Indian, Pacific and Asian regions. The society w ...

* 1996 - Fellow of the

American Phytopathological Society The American Phytopathological Society (APS) is an international scientific organization devoted to the study of plant diseases (phytopathology). APS promotes the advancement of modern concepts in the science of plant pathology and in plant heal ...

* 2001 - Fellow of the

American Academy of Microbiology American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

References

External links

100 Years of Australian Innovation - No Gall
biotechnology-innovation.com.au 1926 births 2023 deaths Scientists from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Australian biologists Australian geneticists Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Fellows of the Royal Society Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Australia Prize recipients Officers of the Order of Australia {{Biologist-stub