Professor Michael Blatt has been appointed to the Regius Chair of Botany, founded at the University of Glasgow by King George III in 1818. Professor Blatt, who is currently Professor of Plant Physiology and Biophysics at the University of London, takes up his new post on 1st January 2001.

Commenting on the appointment, Professor Hugh Nimmo of the Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow said: "We are delighted that Professor Blatt will be joining us in the new year. With extensive experience of researching plant botany in USA, Germany, Canada and Britain, Professor Blatt's contribution will greatly build on our strengths.

"His appointment is particularly timely as the Institute has recently been awarded £3.5m from the Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF) to create a centre of excellence for plant cell research. The team will study the ways in which plants respond to different kinds of environmental stress and Professor Blatt's extensive expertise in drought stress will be a great asset. The ultimate aim of our research is to improve understanding of how plants respond to environmental signals in order to breed new plant varieties capable of withstanding such environmental changes."

Professor Blatt is looking forward to joining the University. "I am delighted to be able to contribute to the strength of plant sciences at Glasgow. The coming decades will see both new challenges for and new developments in plant biology that we can barely imagine at this time. It is vital that we are prepared."

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First published: 20 December 2000