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Six researchers from The University of Western Australia have been recognised as some of the most influential scientific minds in the world.

Winthrop Professor Harvey Millar and Professor Ian Small, from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Winthrop Professor Carlos Duarte, Director of UWA's Oceans Institute, and Australian Laureate Fellow Professor Richard Hobbs, Winthrop Professor Christine Foyer, and Adjunct Professor Mark Chase, all from UWA's School of Plant Biology, have been included in the prestigious Thomson Reuters 2014 Highly Cited Researchers list.

Their inclusion reflects the significance, quality and impact of the many scientific publications they have published in collaboration with other scientists and students from the University.

Professor Millar, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, leads a research team that investigates respiration in plants and the roles played by proteins in maintaining the function of plants in harsh environments, such as drought, salinity and temperature extremes.

Professor Small, who served as Centre Director from 2006 to 2013, and his research group focus on the RNA world of mitochondria and chloroplasts in plant cells.  These organelles make some of the most important and abundant proteins on Earth.  The group investigates how genes are controlled with a view to optimising the use of plants in agricultural and environmental applications.

Recognised as one of the world's foremost global change scientists, Professor Duarte led the Malaspina 2010 Expedition, a Spanish circumnavigation voyage that sailed the world's oceans to examine the impacts of global change on ocean ecosystems and explore their biodiversity.

Professor Hobbs leads the Ecosystem Restoration Laboratory in UWA's School of Plant Biology, a dynamic research group engaged in a variety of projects including intervention ecology: managing ecosystems in the 21 ^st century.

Professor Chase works for the UK's Royal Botanic Gardens Kew as Keeper of the Jodrell Laboratory, undertaking research on anatomy, biochemistry, cytogenetics, molecular Systematics, biosystematics, plant physiology and mycology. He also holds an adjunct position within UWA's School of Plant Biology.

An internationally renowned plant scientist, Professor Foyer is based at the Centre for Plant Sciences at University of Leeds and also holds a fractional appointment as research professor in UWA's School of Plant Biology.

Media references

David Stacey (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716