Professor Gibson has worked continuously since 1953 and with great success on the pathways by which micro-organisms synthesise aromatic compounds, particularly the aromatic amino acids and compounds such as Vitamin K, uqiquinone and p-aminobenzoic acid. Following the earlier work of B.D. Davis on biochemical genetics on this subject there were many large areas of ignorance in this complex field. In a series of elegant pieces of work which combined bacterial genetics with sophisticated biochemistry and organic chemistry Gibson has made huge contributions t6 this field. A large section of biochemical pathways is associated with his name and he is the world authority on the area. Perhaps his most vital discovery was that of chorismic acid which he isolated, determined its structure and showed that it is the key branch point in the biosynthesis of the various aromatic end products. In this work he has isolated five new intermediates, studied 11 new enzymes, obtained the first indication of how Vitamin K is synthesised and discovered a new bacterial vitamin, 2, 3, dihydroxybenzoic acid and elucidated its biosynthetic pathway. Gibson's work is at full flood and is continuing to develop in an elegant way into the fields of control of aromatic biosynthesis and vitamin K biosynthesis. He is a leader in every sense of the word in this important field of research and must be regarded as one of Australia's distinguished scientists. His quality has been recognised by being elected the 1st Australian Biochemical Society Annual Lecturer in 1968, the Pfizer Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, Sydney, 1964, and by being awarded the David Syme Research Prize in the University of Melbourne in 1963.