Date of Birth: 4 November 1958

Nationality: Australian

Address:

School of Botany

The University of Melbourne
Victoria. 3010
Australia
ph.: (03) 9344 5252
fax.: (03) 9347 5460
e-mail: drinnan@botany.unimelb.edu.au

 

Academic Qualifications:

PH.D. University of Melbourne, 1988

M.SC. University of Melbourne, 1983
B.SC. Honours, First Class. University of Melbourne, 1980

 

Current and Previous Appointments:

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR and READER; School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Australia (2000-)

SENIOR LECTURER; School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Australia (1996-1999)
LECTURER; School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Australia (1990-1995)
POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW; Geology Department, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (May 1988-April 1990)

 

Teaching Responsibilities

606-201/023 The Living Plant

606-202 Plant Biodiversity
606-303 Systematics and Evolution.
606-310 Field Botany
Honours and Postgraduate and Honours Student Supervision

 

Major Research Interests

Fossil evidence for angiosperm evolution: Fossil flowers provide the most reliable evidence for the systematic composition of late Mesozoic and Tertiary vegetation. My research concentrates on morphological and systematic interpretation of mid and late Cretaceous fossil flowers from North America (with Dr P.R. Crane, Chicago) and throughout the fossil record Australasia (ARC funding)

 

Permian and Triassic plant fossils in Antarctica: Sediments in the Prince Charles Mountains preserve one of the few fossil plant localities in East Antarctica, providing important information on floristics and biogeography of early Gondwanan vegetation. Fieldwork was undertaken in 1991-2 and 1994-5; continuing research in collaboration with Dr D.J. Cantrill (British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge), Dr J. Webb (La Trobe Univ.) and Dr S. McLoughlin (Melb. Univ.). (ANARE, ASAC, and ARC funding)

 

Floral development and relationships among basal "non-magnoliid" dicotyledons: Flower and inflorescence formation in the 'primitive' members of the largest and most diverse group of flowering plants has implications for elucidating currently obscure evolutionary relationships and the nature and evolution of the angiosperm flower. Current research is focusing on Nothofagus (southern beech) and the families Buxaceae (ARC and DITAC funding) and Winteraceae.

 

Floral development and evolution in Myrtaceae: Investigation of floral ontogeny in this important southern plant family will determine the developmental bases for the wide structural diversity of flowers, and their implications as characters for systematic and evolutionary hypotheses of the family (ARC funding).

 

Departmental Administration

Equipment Committee

Research Committee
Electron Microscope Committee
Director of Herbarium
Management Committee

Faculty of Science Board
Finance and Facilities Committee
Chair, Environment, Health and Safety Committee

 

University Administration

Compliance Steering Group

Environment Advisory Committee
Grounds Management Advisory Committee

 

External

Editorial Advisory Committee, Australian Systematic Botany

 

Membership of Professional Associations:

Australian Systematic Botany Society

Botanical Society of America
Fellow, Willi Hennig Society
Geological Society of Australia
Association of Australasian Palaeontologists
Palaeobotanical and Palynological Association of Australasia
International Organisation of Palaeobotany

 

Return to Andrew Drinnan's Personal Page

Created: 21 December 1999
Last modified: 21 December 1999
Authorised by: Andrew Drinnan, School of Botany.