Plant Science
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at
University of Sheffield
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
. His first degree and PhD came from
University of Hull
The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...
, the latter in 1963.University of Sheffield Academic Staff /ref> He also serves on the Rothamsted Research Board of Directors
Read's research focuses on plant and fungal physiology and ecology, particularly the biology of root-fungus symbioses.
Honours and awards
Read was elected a
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 and was formerly its Vice President and Biological Secretary until 2008 when he was succeeded by Professor Dame Jean Thomas.
He was the 2002 recipient of the
Kempe Award for Distinguished Ecologists The Kempe Award for Distinguished Ecologists is a prize awarded biennially from 1994 onwards to recognise outstanding individuals within the science of ecology. The Award is an honorarium of SEK 50,000. The award is given by the Kempe Foundations ...
. He was knighted in 2007. The same year, he was made
honorary doctor
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...