Rate My Professor Christopher Steel

Professor Christopher Steel serves as an Honorary Professor in the School of Science, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, at the University of Newcastle. He earned his BSc Honours in Microbiology from University College Cardiff between 1979 and 1982 and a PhD from the University of Birmingham from 1982 to 1986, with his doctoral research centered on host-pathogen interactions in Fusarium wilt of tomato. Following his PhD, Steel completed postdoctoral training at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, with the agrochemical company Dr R Maag AG in Switzerland, and at the NSW Department of Agriculture in Rydalmere, Australia, from 1991 to 1995. Since 1995, he has held the position of Professor of Viticulture at Charles Sturt University in the School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, where he has taught viticulture and wine science and led undergraduate and postgraduate programs for over 25 years.

Steel's research specializes in grapevine pathology and disease management, with a focus on fungal bunch rots including Botrytis cinerea (grey mould), ripe rot, and bitter rot. His work examines pathogen detection, fungicide resistance, physiological plant pathology, mode of action of agricultural pesticides, and the impacts of vine diseases, climate, environment, and grape growing practices on grape production, composition, wine quality, and sensory attributes. Employing a multidisciplinary approach integrating plant pathology, analytical chemistry, phytochemistry, and sensory science, he has delivered applied solutions to the wine industry through industry-partnered PhD projects. Steel has conducted workshops for grape growers and winemakers in Australia and presented research internationally in Argentina, Chile, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and USA. Key publications include 'Grapevine bunch rots: impacts on wine composition, quality, and potential procedures for the removal of wine faults' (Steel, Blackman, Schmidtke, 2013, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 224 citations), 'The Grapevine: from the science to the practice of growing vines for wine' (2nd edition, Iland et al., 2024), 'Phylogenetic relationships and pathogenicity of Colletotrichum acutatum isolates from grape in subtropical Australia' (Whitelaw-Weckert et al., 2007, Plant Pathology, 177 citations), and recent papers on Botryosphaeriaceae species associated with dieback in walnut and persimmon orchards. He serves on the editorial board of the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, is a member of the Australian Society for Viticulture and Oenology, and was formerly a board member of the Australian Wine Research Institute.