Ros Gleadow

Roslyn M. Gleadow (born 1955) FAA is an Australian plant scientist, who leads the Plant Ecophysiological and Cyanogenesis Groups at Monash University, and was nominated as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2024.

Gleadow graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Science (Hons), and then a Master of Science in Ecophysiology, and PhD from University of Melbourne.

In high school, Gleadow was interested in 'everything to do with biology'.

She thought she may be a doctor, but decided science was more fun.

Gleadow has researched the process of cyanide release from stable bioactive compounds in plants occurs in response to herbivory.

Using cyanogenesis as a model, Gleadow has integrated opposing theories of plant defense into a single overarching theory, demonstrating that these bioactive compounds are intricately involved in nitrogen management within the plant.

Her research has shown that nitrogen management, rather than herbivore resistance, is the evolutionary driver.

Her work explains why many crop plants are cyanogenic and helps predict changes in the nutritional value of plants in response to environmental challenges, including drought and elevated CO2.

Gleadow has worked to translate her research to impact food security, human and environmental health, and crop adaptation.

Gleadow is a plant biologist and ecophysiologist who studies impacts of climate change on food security, focusing on plants which contain and produce cyanide as a defense against herbivores.

Her research crosses molecular to ecosystem levels and global scales.

Gleadow's work has led to projects aimed at reducing cyanide levels in human and animal diets.

This has resulted in several industry-sponsored and collaborative projects with health and agricultural scientists in Africa, Fiji, and Vanuatu.

Gleadow is also an advocate for effective science communication.

Gleadow has been President of the Global Plant Council, Deputy Director of the Monash Agtech LaunchPad, Chair-elect of the Safe Cassava Working Group.

She was also on the board of Eucalypt Australia as well as the policy committee for the Royal Society of Victoria.

Gleadow is a member of the advisory board for the Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia.

She is a former member of the Australian Academy of Science's Committee for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility.

Gleadow is Past President of Global Plant Council and Chair of Eucalyptus Australia.

Gleadow has over 6000 citations and an H number of 42, according to Google Scholar as at May 2024.

Select publications include:

RM Gleadow, IE Woodrow (2002) Constraints on effectiveness of cyanogenic glycosides in herbivore defense.

Journal of chemical ecology 28 (7), 1301–1313.

Gleadow was the co-ordinator of Monash University's science communication program.

She commented on the Science communications program."“At Monash, all our undergraduate science students take a subject in scientific practice and communication where they learn how to critically evaluate scientific information – and how to repackage it for different sorts of audiences,”"

RM Gleadow, BL Møller, (2014) Cyanogenic glycosides: synthesis, physiology, and phenotypic plasticity.

Annual Review of Plant Biology 65, 155–185.