Pauline Ladiges is a botanist whose research has contributed to our understanding of the evolution of Australia’s unique and highly diverse native plants. She is well known internationally for her work on Australia’s iconic eucalypts, using DNA and plant characteristics to discover major evolutionary groups and their geographic distribution patterns dating back to Gondwanan times. Her work has led to a better taxonomic system of naming eucalypts, as well as other significant plant groups such as acacias and banksias.  

Pauline received her PhD from the University of Melbourne where she became Professor and Head of the School of Botany. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and an Officer of the Order of Australia and has written a number of award-winning biology textbooks.