Stubbs, Lionel Leslie (1916 - 2003)

Summary

Lionel Stubbs was a highly-respected pioneer in the study of plant viruses and their insect vectors. After graduating in agricultural science from the University of Melbourne, he joined the Plant Research Institute, Burnley, as Assistant Entomologist. His early research was in diseases caused by aphids and codlin moth. Within a few years his focus shifted to the diagnosis and epidemiology of viral plant diseases. During his 30 years at Burnley, he established best equipped and staffed plant virology unit in Australia. Diseases which he studied included those affecting citrus, lettuce, broad beans, carrots and strawberries. He was particularly concerned with the control of disease through the development of virus-free propagating material. In 1969 Stubbs became Professor of Plant Pathology in the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Melbourne. He advocated for various of the plant sciences, then taught over a number of faculties, to be transferred to Agriculture. In addition he worked to improve the teaching of agricultural subjects and the funding of the Faculty. Stubbs was active in scientific circles, being President of the Royal Society of Victoria and the Australasian Plant Pathology Society.

Details

Chronology

1938

Education - Bachelor of Agricultural Science (BAgSc), University of Melbourne

1939 - 1969

Career position - Assistant Entomologist (later Principal Plant Pathologist), Plant Research Institute, Burnley, Victorian Department of Agriculture

1948

Education - Master of Agricultural Science (MAgSc), University of Melbourne

1955 - 1956

Award - Commonwealth Fund of New York Fellowship (supported by the Harkness family) for study of virology research programs, based at Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.A.

1966

Career position - Chairman, Organising Committee, ACC/CSIRO Australian Plant Pathology Conference, Toowoomba, Queensland

1966

Award - Australian Medal of Agricultural Science, Australian Institute of Agricultural Science

1967

Career position - Australian correspondent for the Commonwealth Mycological Institute, United Kingdom

1969 - 1973

Career position - Professor of Plant Pathology, Department of Agriculture, University of Melbourne

1973 - 1975

Career position - Dean, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Melbourne

1973 - 1981

Career position - Professor of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Melbourne

1974 - 1975

Career position - President, Australasian Plant Pathology Society

1976 - 1978

Career position - Member, Committee of Reference, Reserve Bank of Australia

1976 - 1981

Career position - Member, Victorian Wheat Industry Research Committee

1978

Career position - Chairman, Committee of Reference, Reserve Bank of Australia

1978 - 1996

Award - Fellow, Australian Institute of Agricultural Science

1979 - 1980

Career position - President, Royal Society of Victoria

1981

Life event - Retired

1982 - ?

Career position - Porfessor Emeritus, University of Melbourne

1997 - 2003

Award - Fellow, Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology

Related entries

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Parbery, D. G. and Greber, R. S., 'Lionel Leslie Stubbs, pioneer of Australian plant virology', Australasian plant pathology, 25 (1996), 261-70, https://doi.org/10/1071/APP6049. Details
• Stubbs, L. L., 'Plant pathology in Australia', Review of plant pathology, 50 (1971), 461-78. Details
• Stubbs, L. L., 'A discussion of past events and influences in the development of Australian plant virology', Australasian plant pathology, 23 (1994), 138-43. https://doi.org/10.1071/APP9940138. Details

Resources

• 'Stubbs, Lionel Leslie', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1475018. Details

Resource Sections

• Falvey, Lindsay and Bardsley, Barrie, 'Chapter 6: Agriculture at The University of Melbourne, 1905', in Agricultural and Related Education in the Victorian Colleges and the University of Melbourne, 1999, http://www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au/dean/book2/ch6.html. Details

See also

• Fish, Stanislaus, 'The history of plant pathology in Australia', Annual review of phytopathology, 8 (1970), 13-36. Details