Plants are our major renewable energy source and all life on earth depends upon them. Yet our knowledge of fundamental plant biology and the interactions between plants and the environment is far from complete.

Welcome to the School of Botany at the University of Melbourne.
The School offers an exciting and stimulating environment for the study of plants and plant processes, particular in the context of the Australian flora and environment.
Our teaching program in Plant Sciences provide undergraduate students with knowledge and a skills base in a number of areas:

• Environmental Science (including Plant Ecology, Ecophysiology and Conservation Biology),
• Marine Botany,
• Plant Molecular and Cell Biology and Biotechnology,
• Plant Diseases, and
• Plant Biodiversity and Evolution (including Taxonomy, Biogeography and Fossils).

These areas also lead to Honours and Postgraduate programs and are a focus for the School's research programs.  Research covers the broad spectrum of basic, strategic and applied research.  Active collaborations are maintained with other Universities and Research Institutes within Australia and overseas, as well as with State and Federal Government Agencies and Industry.

The School includes the Plant Cell Biology Research Centre (Director Professor Antony Bacic), The Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, the GRDC Cereal Functional Genomics Centre, the The Victorian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics and the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis.

The School of Botany Foundation, chaired by Dr Max Richards, raises funds to support both teaching and research.  The Foundation has endowed a number of student scholarships and Prizes.  Please visit the Foundation's Web site for further information.  All donations are welcome and are tax deductible.

Professor Pauline Ladiges, Head of School