Roger Slack Award – in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the study of plant biology by a young scientist: awarded by the New Zealand Society of Plant Biologists to Professor Matthew Turnbull from the University of Canterbury
Citation: Matthew Turnbull, a Professor at the University of Canterbury, studies the regulators of the acquisition of carbon and nitrogen by plants in response to the environment. Climate change is the most pressing environmental issue facing humans, and our understanding of cycling between the atmosphere and the terrestrial biosphere is vital in efforts to predict future climate change. Using both measurement and modelling approaches, Matthew’s research has demonstrated that respiration by plants acclimates to temperature, but that photosynthesis does not. This surprising result means that moderate increases in temperature may favour carbon uptake by terrestrial vegetation, and may help mitigate climate change.
