Dr Higgins’ research provides an outstanding example of distinguished contributions to basic science leading to a range of applications in agriculture which are of national and global significance. He is widely recognized internationally for his contributions to our understanding of the biology and molecular genetics of the storage proteins formed in developing seeds and the regulation of expression of their coding genes. These studies, combined with his research on transgene technology, provided the basis for generating transgenic crops and pastures engineered to provide critical novel features. These include plants with either improved nutritional quality or resistance to viruses or insects.