Summary of achievements

Professor Ladiges was appointed to a “Personal Chair” at the University of Melbourne in recognition of her scientific discoveries and leadership within the university.  She has published more than 100 substantial scientific articles in refereed journals of international standing, published eight book chapters, edited three special volumes, co-authored two biology textbooks for secondary education and co-edited the first substantial Australian biology textbook used in tertiary institutions.  These three books have won prizes for Best Australian Textbook and an Overall Award for Excellence in Australian Publishing.   She has trained many postgraduate students who have gone on to important positions within Australia

Professor Ladiges is distinguished for her studies of taxonomy, biogeography and ecology of Australian plants and was elected a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2002.  She is best known for her innovative approach to resolving uncertainties about the classification and naming of Australia's most important group of trees, the eucalypts.  She was the first to employ modern methods and DNA sequence comparison to establish definitively the relationships of the major groups of eucalypts and establish the basis of a robust classification, important to the forestry industry and biodiversity conservation.  She has developed new methods for biogeographic analyis, enabling identification of regions with high levels of unique species and their evolutionary history.  She trained as a plant ecologist and has a broad understanding of environmental issues and Australian ecosystems.

Present Classification          Professor (Personal Chair)

Qualifications                       Ph.D. (Melbourne 1976)

                                               M.Sc. (Melbourne 1972)

                                               Dip. Ed. (Melbourne 1971)

Awards                                  Centenary Medal of Australia 2003

Elected Fellow Australian Academy of Science 2002

Howitt Natural History Prize (The University of Melbourne)

                                               McBain Scholarship (The University of Melbourne)

                                               Commonwealth Postgraduate Scholarship

                                               The University of Melbourne Postgraduate Award

Academic and other Relevant Appointments

 2002              Honorary Research Associate, Natural History Museum, London

1992-              Head, School of Botany, The University of Melbourne

                       Professor (Personal Chair)

                       Honorary Research Associate, New York Botanical Garden

1991               Deputy Head, School of Botany, University of Melbourne

1987               Reader, School of Botany, University of Melbourne

1983-87          Associate Dean (Students), Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne

Memberships (current and past)

Member, Australian Institute of Company Directors

Ecological Society of Australia

              -Victorian Regional Councilor 1975-77,

              -Secretary 1979-80 and Proceedings editor 1980,

              -Vice-President 1981.

Member, Royal Society of Victoria

Member, Australian Systematic Botany Society

Member, American Society of Plant Taxonomists & Society of Systematic Biologists

Fellow of the Willi Hennig Society

Other organisations and committees (selected list)

Member, Board of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Victoria (RBG) 1992- and Deputy Chairman of the Board 1996-2002;

Non-Executive Director Yarra Valley Water Ltd (1998-)

Member, Australian Biological Resources Study (1996-2000), Deputy Chairman (1999-2000)

Member Environment Committee, Parks Victoria (1998-)

Member, Advisory Committee, CSIRO Biodiversity Sector. 1996-1999

Chairman, International Panel to Review the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, CSIRO (1998)

Member, Advisory Committee, CSIRO Division of Plant Industry, 1994-96

Member, Committee to Review CSIRO Division of Plant Industry, 1992

Founding Chairman, Editorial Advisory Committee, Australian Systematic Botany 1987-93

Assistant Editor, Cladistics 1989-91

Associate Editor Plant Systematics and Evolution (2000-)

Member, Editorial Journal Board, Systematics and Biodiversity (2002-)