Prestigious national honour for Professor Gail Taylor

Professor Gail Taylor has become one of ten Trustees of the world’s oldest general plant science journal. She will take up the role at the Annals of Botany Company shortly.

The prestigious academic journal, founded in 1887 and owned by a charitable trust, is at the forefront of research into plant biology. In addition, the Company publishes the online open access journal, AoB Plants and a popular blog covering stories in the news ranging from weeds to winemaking. It also awards small grants to aid researchers with their work.

“I am honoured to be appointed to join this group of leading botanists to guide and support the journal as we tackle significent issues such as food security and climate change,” she says. “Plant science will become even more important in years to come as we move from an oil-based economy to one where green plants will increasingly provide food, fuel and chemicals.”

Gail Taylor, Professor of Plant Biology and former Director of Research in Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton, is personally interested in research into the use of woody plants both as sources of renewable energy for heat, power and for liquid biofuels such as ethanol.

She values the Annals of Botany Company’s Botanical Briefings which review timely topics and supports the Company’s ambitions to reach a wide audience of interested lay readers by publishing accessible articles on cutting edge research online.

Past Trustees of the Annals of Botany Company have included Charles Darwin’s botanist son Francis and pioneering ecologist Sir Arthur Tansley.