Professor Lambers shows outstanding international leadership in plant physiological ecology, revealing mechanisms by which plants function and grow in markedly different environments. He developed novel understanding of causes and consequences of variation in growth rate amongst plant species, and its impacts on nutrient transport and respiratory metabolism. His recent focus on soil-plant interactions in relation to function and distribution of root adaptations that enhance mineral nutrition of Australian plants embodies this approach in relation to the predominantly phosphorus-limited ecosystems of Australia. Professor Lambers eminently and incisively promotes education and performance of young researchers in Australia and overseas.