Rate My Professor David A. Orlovich

Professor David A. Orlovich serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Botany within the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago. He earned his Bachelor of Science with Honours and PhD from the University of New South Wales. Elevated to full Professor in 2023, he has held faculty positions at Otago since the early 2000s, progressing through roles including Lecturer. Orlovich is actively involved in teaching a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including BIOL 123: Plants: How they Shape the World, BTNY 202: Plant and Fungal Diversity, BTNY 302: Plant Interactions, GENE 312: Evolutionary Genetics, BTNY 365: Research Skills, BTNY 465: Plant and Environment, and BTNY 467: New Zealand Plant Ecology and Evolution. He supervises doctoral students on topics such as mycorrhizal ecology, fungal diversity in Nothofagus forests, and ectomycorrhizal community assembly.

Orlovich's research focuses on the evolution of plants and fungi, molecular ecology, mycology, systematics, and taxonomy. His work examines ectomycorrhizal fungi, particularly Cortinarius species in New Zealand, fungal cell biology including vacuole motility, and phylogenetic patterns in plant families like Myrtaceae and Poaceae. Key publications include 'Methods for the extraction, storage, amplification and sequencing of DNA from environmental samples' (Lear et al., 2018; 278 citations), 'Structure, function, and motility of vacuoles in filamentous fungi' (Cole, Orlovich & Ashford, 1998; 163 citations), 'Ectomycorrhizal fungi in New Zealand: current perspectives and future directions' (Orlovich & Cairney, 2004; 110 citations), 'Review of phlegmacioid Cortinariaceae (Agaricales) in New Zealand' (Soop et al., 2025), and 'Navigating the labyrinth – Searching for mechanistic clues to explain the evolution of sequestrate Agaricales' (Nilsen et al., 2024). With over 1,544 citations documented on Scopus and leadership as President of the Fungal Network of New Zealand Inc., his contributions have advanced knowledge of fungal ecology, evolution, and New Zealand biodiversity.