Rate My Professor William Foley

Foley's research explores the ecology and evolution of plant-animal interactions in the Australian biota, integrating physiology, analytical chemistry, molecular genetics, and quantitative genetics across scales from individuals to landscapes. Key areas include the role of plant secondary metabolites such as terpenes and tannins in herbivore nutrition, particularly in folivores like koalas and possums, and the impacts of climate on feeding behavior. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications and more than 17,000 citations, notable works include 'Linking Vegetation Characteristics of Madagascar’s Spiny Forest to Habitat Occupancy of Lepilemur petteri' (2024, International Journal of Primatology), 'Secondary Compounds in Primate Foods: Time for New Approaches' (2024), 'Warmer ambient temperatures reduce protein intake by a mammalian folivore' (2023, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B), 'Evolutionary relationship of the NBS-LRR gene family in Melaleuca and Eucalyptus' (2023, Tree Genetics & Genomes), and the highly cited 'Ecological applications of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy' (1998, Oecologia). Foley has received the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award (2012), Mercator Gastprofessor award (2006), Lynsey Welsh Award (1998), and multiple ANU teaching commendations (2010-2011). He serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Chemical Ecology and Chemoecology, and chairs the Science Advisory Board of the Canadian White Spruce Genome project (SMarTForests).