Rate My Professor David J. Burritt

David J. Burritt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Botany at the University of Otago, where he has served since January 1994. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. (Honours) in Botany, as well as a Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology, all from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Burritt's research centers on oxidative stress and redox biology in plants, seaweeds, animals, and algae, encompassing antioxidant metabolism, reactive oxygen species signaling, plant breeding and biotechnology, cryopreservation of germplasm, plant-based foods, bioactive molecules, and organismal responses to environmental stressors such as pollution, climate change, drought, salinity, and toxins. His investigations address survival mechanisms under stress conditions, yielding applications in crop improvement, food science, biotechnology, and biomedicine. He contributes to teaching through courses like BIOL123 Plants: How They Shape the World, BTNY201 Plant Functional Biology and Biotechnology, BTNY461 Plant Physiology and Biotechnology, PLBI301 Applied Plant Science, PLBI302 Plants for the Future, and advanced special topics in plant biotechnology.

With over 210 peer-reviewed publications, more than 9,700 citations, and an extensive publication record, Burritt has profoundly influenced plant stress biology. Standout works include 'Hydrogen peroxide priming modulates abiotic oxidative stress tolerance: insights from ROS detoxification and scavenging' (2015, Frontiers in Plant Science), 'Proline protects plants against abiotic oxidative stress: biochemical and molecular mechanisms' (2014), 'Methylglyoxal: an emerging signaling molecule in plant abiotic stress responses and tolerance' (2016, Frontiers in Plant Science), 'The CRISPR/Cas9 system and its applications in crop genome editing' (2019, Critical Reviews in Biotechnology), and 'Heat or cold priming-induced cross-tolerance to abiotic stresses in plants: key regulators and possible mechanisms' (2018, Protoplasma). He has edited four books for Springer and three for Elsevier. Burritt supervises numerous PhD and MSc students in Botany, Food Science, and Marine Science, and engages in Ag@Otago and the Otago Global Health Institute. Recent outputs cover microplastic oxidative stress in fish (2025), chilling injury antioxidants in kiwifruit (2025), and light effects on fucoxanthin in diatoms (2025).