Rate My Professor Paul L. Guy

Paul L. Guy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Botany within the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago, where he has held his position since 1992. He earned a BSc (Hons) and PhD from the Australian National University and a Graduate Diploma in Molecular Biology from the University of Tasmania. His research specializes in plant virology, plant pathology, and grass endophytes, with a focus on viruses affecting New Zealand pasture grasses and legumes, as well as broader contributions to plant disease detection and analysis. Guy's work addresses critical areas such as food security, agriculture, and biotechnology, including studies on plant pathogens in unique environments like alpine regions and sub-Antarctic areas. He serves as a media expert on plant diseases and related topics.

Guy has authored numerous key publications, including 'Viruses of New Zealand Pasture Grasses and Legumes' in Crop & Pasture Science (2014), 'Prospects for analyzing ancient RNA in preserved materials' in WIREs RNA (2014), and 'Ancient RNA? RT-PCR of 50-year-old RNA identifies Peach latent mosaic viroid' in Archives of Virology (2013). Recent works encompass 'A phylogeny of the tymoviruses, sensu stricto, and its global interpretation in space and time' in Plant Disease (2025), 'Disease note: first report of chrysanthemum stunt viroid in verbena (Verbena x hybrida) in New Zealand' in Australasian Plant Pathology (2025), 'An alpine enigma: Plant pathogens at Kosciuszko, Australia—A review' (2024), and the children's book 'Aliens in the Playground' (2024). He teaches a wide array of courses, such as BIOL123 Plants: How they Shape the World, BTNY201 Plant Functional Biology and Biotechnology, BTNY302 Plant Interactions, PLBI301 Applied Plant Science, and PLBI401 Frontiers in Plant Biotechnology, spanning undergraduate to advanced postgraduate levels in plant biology, ecology, and conservation.