The beauty of plants, Alsace, France. Lucas Auroux
Australian Society of Plant Scientists
About the ASPS
The Australian Society of Plant Scientists promotes plant science in Australia and connects researchers, teachers and students across the plant sciences.
Founded 1958
Promoting plant science in Australia since 1958
ASPS is an incorporated society (ABN 19 612 119 821) that promotes plant science in Australia and provides professional contact within our community of researchers and tertiary-level teachers. The Society was founded on 19 August 1958 at an inaugural meeting at the University of Adelaide, when physiological aspects of plant biology were beginning to grow rapidly in Australia. JG Wood was the Foundation President and, with RN Robertson, brought the Society to fruition. That early enthusiasm and a commitment to a greater understanding of plant function remain strong.
Root nodule with fluorescent bacteria
Who the Society supports
ASPS connects Australian plant scientists with their peers, students and the wider community interested in Australian plant science.
Students
Reduced-price student membership, best presentation and best poster awards, travel grants and a job board.
Scientists
Connection between plant scientists and students across Australia and with international plant science communities, along with awards, grants and upcoming conferences.
Community
Connection to leaders in Australian plant science, ways to support plant science, and help finding a plant science expert.
Membership
Open to every plant scientist and student in Australia
Membership is open to all professional plant scientists and plant science students in Australia, regardless of nationality or temporary relocation overseas. Members receive discounted registration at ComBio, eligibility for ASPS scholarships and fellowships, Phytogen each month, and free job and event listings on this website.
Champagne vineyards, Verzenay, France
Research areas
ASPS supports excellence in Australian plant science research. Members publish high-impact work across a diverse range of subjects, broadly characterised as:
Genetics and molecular biology
Unravelling the functions and interplay of genes and proteins gives a fundamental understanding of the complex processes that shape a plant.
Cell biology
Modern molecular and microscopy techniques reveal the physiological and molecular workings of the plant cell.
Plant-microbe interactions
Studying how plants and microbes interact helps determine the symbiotic relationships required for plant health.
Plant development
The stepwise events that take a plant from embryo to maturity, studied with the tools of molecular genetics.
Ecophysiology and ecology
Where plant physiology meets ecology: using organismal physiology to ask where different plant species grow and how successful they are.
Whole plants
The interactions between a plant's cell types, controlled through complex physical, chemical and environmental signals.