Robert McIntosh

Robert McIntosh is Emeritus Professor in the Plant Breeding Institute, School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney, where he spent his entire career. He earned his BScAgr in 1960, MScAgr in 1963, and PhD in 1969 from the University of Sydney, with his doctoral research focused on the genetics and cytogenetics of flag smut resistance in wheat. Beginning as a Technical Officer from 1960 to 1963, he advanced to Research Fellow (1963-1973), Senior Research Fellow (1973-1980), and Director of Rust Research at the associate professor level (1980-1992). In 1993, he was promoted to a personal chair as Professor of Cereal Genetics and Cytogenetics and continued as Director of Rust Research until his retirement in 2000. Following retirement, he served as Visiting Professor at Kyoto University in 2000-2001 and was appointed Emeritus Professor in 2013. He held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Missouri in 1969-1970, sabbaticals at the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge in 1977 and Kansas State University in 1994, and maintained international collaborations, including over 20 visits to China since 1983.

McIntosh's research specialized in the genetics and cytogenetics of disease resistance in wheat, particularly rust diseases including leaf rust, stem rust, and stripe rust. He named seven leaf rust resistance genes (Lr), fourteen stem rust genes (Sr), and three stripe rust genes (Yr), and has been the lead curator of the Catalogue of Gene Symbols for Wheat since 1968. Key publications include the book Wheat Rusts: An Atlas of Resistance Genes (1995, with C. R. Wellings and R. F. Park), approximately 130 peer-reviewed papers, and contributions to the Annual Proceedings of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Workshop as editor since 2009. His work facilitated the development of white-seeded derivatives for commercial use of Lr24 and Sr24 genes in Australian wheat cultivars and advanced global understanding of rust pathogen genetics. McIntosh supervised eleven graduate students, delivered lectures in agronomy, plant breeding, and plant pathology, and served on editorial boards for Plant Breeding, Euphytica, Cereal Research Communications, and Wheat Information Service. Major awards include the Farrer Memorial Medal (1976), Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (1993), Officer of the Order of Australia (2009), and Sichuan Tianfu Friendship Award (2016). His contributions have had lasting impact on cereal rust control programs worldwide.

Professional Email: robert.mcintosh@sydney.edu.au