David Guest is the Professor of Plant Pathology in The Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, and Executive Board member of the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre at The University of Sydney. His current research aims to improve management of plant diseases in Australian ecosystems and in tropical horticulture. His extensive fieldwork activities involve interdisicplinary partnerships with colleagues around the Asia-Pacific region, focussed on improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. He is a Fellow and Past-President of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society and the Asian Association of Societies of Plant Pathology