Rate My Professor Andrew Merchant

Associate Professor Andrew Merchant serves as Professor of Plant Biology and Functional Ecology in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney, within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Sydney Institute of Agriculture. He completed his PhD at the University of Western Australia. Merchant began his postdoctoral research at the University of New South Wales from 2006 to 2008, focusing on phloem-derived diagnostic tools for plant health assessment. In September 2008, he was appointed Lecturer in Agro-ecosystems at the University of Sydney and completed an Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship. He advanced to Senior Lecturer and ARC Fellow before attaining his current Associate Professor position. Merchant coordinates the Bachelor of Environmental Systems degree and contributes to teaching in environmental and plant sciences.

Merchant's research specializes in plant science, functional biology, and ecology, particularly in agro-ecosystems. His academic interests include plant metabolism, carbon partitioning to sugar alcohols and polyols, isotope composition of carbohydrates, water relations, stomatal anatomy and conductance, and physiological responses to drought, heat, and climate change across species such as Eucalyptus, soybean, faba bean, and Acacia. Applications span conservation efforts, production of nutritious food, and sustainable biofuels. He has received major funding, including a 2024 ARC Discovery Project grant of $762,116 for quantifying leaf-to-seed carbon dynamics. His publications have amassed 4,562 citations with an h-index of 32 on Google Scholar. Key works include "Seasonal changes in carbohydrates, cyclitols, and water relations of three field-grown Eucalyptus species" (Annals of Forest Science, 2010, with Mark A. Adams), "Post photosynthetic carbon partitioning to sugar alcohols and consequences for plant growth" (Phytochemistry, 2017, with Kathryn Dumschott et al.), "Metabolic, physiological and anatomical responses of soybean genotypes to drought" (Scientific Reports, 2022, with David Fuentes), and "Emergent technologies unlocking yield potential in a changing climate" (AoB PLANTS, 2024, with Edward Chaplin et al.). As Associate Editor of Annals of Forest Science since 2017, he influences the field through editorial contributions.