Dr. Pauls has been a faculty member in the OAC since 1986, initially with the former Crop Science Department and then with the Department of Plant Agriculture. He has held the rank of Full Professor

since 1996 and from 2010 until 2015 served as chair of the Department of Plant Agriculture. Prior to that he served as Acting Associate Dean Academic in the OAC from 2006 to 2009.

 

Even during periods when he held these demanding administrative appointments, Dr. Pauls has been an extremely productive researcher, who has been recognized worldwide in the fields of plant

biotechnology and bean breeding. Among the many awards bestowed on him for his research are the “Seed of the Year” award for most impactful crop variety, the OAC Distinguished Researcher Award,

University of Guelph Distinguished Professor Award (twice), and being named an NSERC University Research Fellow.

 

Dr. Pauls has served terms as the President, Past President and VP of the Canadian Association of Plant Physiologists, and was the Associate Editor for the Canadian Journal of Plant Science. He has held Canadian Seed Growers Association Registered Plant Breeder status since 2006. His research output has been prolific, with over 190 refereed journal articles and 21 book chapters, and many of these publications are of high impact – 18 of his articles have so far gathered over 100 literature citations each, and his h-index currently stands at 54; these are extraordinary numbers for a scientist working in the field of applied plant biology. A unique feature of his research career is that he has had significant and impactful achievements in both very basic (e.g., molecular basis of embryogenesis) and very applied (e.g., commercial variety development) aspects of plant science. His large and robust research program has been extremely well funded (over $20 million in research grants), and has been the platform for training over 75 graduate students and other HQP.

 

Dr. Peter Pauls is an exceptional scientist, and he has been an outstanding and uncommonly generous and supportive colleague. The Department of Plant Agriculture, the Ontario Agricultural College and the University of Guelph are truly fortunate to have benefitted from his talents for almost four decades.