Dr Smyth is distinguished for his contribution to the molecular genetics of plants. He discovered that some species contain vast numbers of mobile elements within their chromosomes. These elements replicate via an RNA intermediate and were previously known only from animals. Independently he has used the model species Arabidopsis thaliana to discover genes that control the identity of floral organs. Recently he has cloned genes that regulate carpel and ovule development. One of these encodes the founding member of a new family of transcription factors.