John Alan (Jack) Elix (born 1941) emeritus professor in chemistry at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

, is an organic chemist who has contributed in many fields:

lichenology Lichenology is the branch of mycology that studies the lichens, symbiotic organisms made up of an intimate symbiotic association of a microscopic alga (or a cyanobacterium) with a filamentous fungus. Study of lichens draws knowledge from several ...

, lichen

chemotaxonomy Webster's Dictionary, Merriam-Webster defines ''chemotaxonomy'' as the method of biology, biological classification based on similarities and dissimilarity in the structure of certain chemical compound, compounds among the organisms being classifi ...

, plant physiology and biodiversity and natural product chemistry. He has authored 2282 species names, and 67 genera in the field of

mycology Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogens, as ...

Education

His first degree, B.Sc., and his Ph.D were both in organic chemistry from 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 ...

. This was followed by post-doctoral years at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and then a D.Sc. in natural products chemistry from the

Career

Elix spent a post doctoral year in 1966 at Cambridge, returning to Australia in 1967 to a lectureship in chemistry at the

ANU Anu ( akk, , from wikt:𒀭#Sumerian, 𒀭 ''an'' “Sky”, “Heaven”) or Anum, originally An ( sux, ), was the sky father, divine personification of the sky, king of the gods, and ancestor of many of the list of Mesopotamian deities, dei ...

. He retired as professor of chemistry in 2002, becoming professor emeritus. By 1975 he had already published several papers on the organic chemistry of lichens, and ultimately leading to work on the evolution, taxonomy and phylogeny of lichens. For his work on lichens, Elix was awarded the

Acharius Medal __NOTOC__ The Acharius Medal is awarded by the International Association for Lichenology (IAL) for lifetime achievement in lichenology. The organization resolved at its 1990 meeting that it would simultaneously honor professional achievement and c ...

in 2004 and the Nancy T Burbidge Medal in 2015. He was honoured in 1997, when lichenologist

Helge Thorsten Lumbsch Helge Thorsten Lumbsch (born 1964) is a German-born lichenologist living in the United States. His research interests include the phylogeny, taxonomy, and phylogeography of lichen-forming fungi; lichen diversity; lichen chemistry and chemotaxon ...

published ''

Elixiaceae The Elixiaceae are a family of lichen-forming fungi in the order Umbilicariales. It contains two genera, '' Meridianelia'', and the type genus, ''Elixia'', which together have a total of three species. The family was circumscribed by lichenologi ...

'' which is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

in the order Umbilicariales. It contains two genera, '' Meridianelia'', and the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal f ...

, '' Elixia'', which is named after John Alan Elix. He was also honoured again in 2004, with '' Melanelixia'', which is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

foliose lichen Foliose lichen is one of the morphological classes of lichens, which are complex organisms that arise from the symbiotic relationship between fungi and a photosynthetic partner, typically algae. This partnership allows lichen to live in diverse ...

s in the family

Parmeliaceae The Parmeliaceae is a large and diverse family of Lecanoromycetes. With over 2700 species in 71 genera, it is the largest family of lichen-forming fungi. The most speciose genera in the family are the well-known groups: '' Xanthoparmelia'' ( 822 ...

, and in 2016 with ''

Astrothelium elixii ''Astrothelium elixii'' is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. It is found in the Beni Biological Station Biosphere Reserve in Bolivia. Taxonomy The lichen was formally described as a new speci ...

'', a rare bark-dwelling Bolivian lichen.

Selected publications

Some genera authored

*'' Amphorothecium'' P.M.McCarthy, Kantvilas & Elix *''

Canomaculina ''Parmotrema'' is a genus of lichen belonging to the family Parmeliaceae. It is a large genus, containing an estimated 300 species, with a centre of diversity in subtropical regions of South America and the Pacific Islands. Members of the genus ...

'' *''

Parmelinopsis ''Hypotrachyna'' is a genus of lichenized fungi within the family Parmeliaceae. According to the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th edition, 2008), the widespread genus contains about 198 species. ''Hypotrachyna'' was circumscribed by American lic ...

'' *''

Australiaena ''Australiaena'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Caliciaceae. This is a monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that d ...

Education

Career

Selected publications

Some genera authored

See also

References

Further reading