Allen Kerr AO, FRS,

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

(21 May 1926 – 14 December 2023) was a Scottish-born Australian biologist. He served as Professor of Plant Pathology at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

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

Biography

Kerr was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

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

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. From 1947-1951 he was an assistant Mycologist at the North of Scotland College of Agriculture.
From 1951-1980 he was Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer, then Reader in Plant Pathology at the University of Adelaide.
From 1978-1983 he was Vice-President of the International Society for Plant Pathology.
From 1980-1983 he was President of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society. In 1978, he was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
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 judges 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 and biology. In 1990, he became Head of the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Adelaide, and in 1991 he became Head of the Department of Crop Protection at the University of Adelaide. Kerr celebrated his 90th birthday in 2016. He died in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

on 14 December 2023, at the age of 97.

Awards

*1978 - Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (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 *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 *1996 - Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society *2001 - Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology

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