A/Professor Andrew Geering is currently President of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society and Vice President-elect of the International Society for Plant Pathology, representing the Organizing Committee for the International Congress of Plant Pathology 2028. For nearly his entire professional career, Andrew has worked in Brisbane, initially with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries but for the last 13 years with The University of Queensland.

Andrew is primarily a plant virologist, but he has dabbled in mycology, bacteriology and even entomology as part of broader biosecurity projects. Living in Queensland has provided Andrew the opportunity to work on diseases of tropical and subtropical horticultural crops such as banana, avocado, pineapple, citrus and sugarcane, and his expertise has been sought in developing nations throughout the world, particularly in southeast Asia.

Andrew has always strived to see fundamental scientific discoveries translated into practical outcomes for farmers. Andrew’s interests are not limited to plant pathology as he has authored a book on the ‘Shorebirds of Australia’ and is also a native plant gardening enthusiast.