The Academy Lecture of John Barnett “Understanding Cambial Behaviour” “The Key To Wood Quality” Introduction of the “Lecturer” The Linnean Society/IAWS/IAWA annual meeting, London, 29th May 2008

John Barnett Milestones  Professor Emeritus in Structural Botany in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading.  BSc in Biological Chemistry at the University of Manchester  PhD in Biophysics under the supervision of R.D.Preston FRS, FIAWS, at the University of Leeds in  From 1969 to 1977, Scientist at the Forest Research Institute of the New Zealand Forest Service.  1977, Electron Microscopist then Director of Structural Studies in the Plant Science at  1996 Head of the Department of Botany.  2002, Head of the School of Plant Sciences.

Research interests: application of microscopy to the vascular cambium and developing secondary xylem in softwoods and hardwoods and to developing graft unions in woody plants. Records: Supervised of 25 PhD students. More than 100 refereed papers and reports More than 50 oral conference presentations.

 1995 Elected fellow of IAWS  1999 Vice President  2002 President  2005 Past President o Fellow of the Linnean Society o 2004 Elected a Trustee and Council Member of the Society o 2005 awarded an Erskine Fellowship by the University of Canterbury New Zealand. o Editorial board of the Journal of the International Association of Wood Anatomists o Co-editor of Wood Science and Technology (Journal of IAWS) o Editorial boards of Annals of Botany, Holzforschung, Sylva Fennica, and Chinese Forestry Science and Technology. o 1966, Chair of the EC COST Action entitled Cell Wall Macromolecules and Reaction Wood

2002 Epinal France 2003 Cesis Latvia 2004 Montpellier France 2005 Concepcion Chili 2002 Beijing China 2007 Kyoto Japan

Thanks a lot for the 9 years spent at the Executive Committee John!