Denis McGee

Denis McGee was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1938. He earned a B.S. degree in botany in 1964 and a Ph.D. in plant pathology in 1967 from the University of Edinburgh. After a 2- year postdoctoral position at the University of Minnesota, Denis was employed as a plant pathologist by the Victorian Plant Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia until 1975. Following a 1-year research fellowship at Agriculture Canada, Saskatoon, he was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at the University of Maine in 1976. In 1978, he became assistant professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Seed Science Center at Iowa State University and was promoted to professor in 1984. Dr. McGee has received national and international recognition for his productive seed pathology program focusing on the epidemiology of seedborne diseases and for substantial contributions to the seed industry. The Seed Science Center, under Dr. McGee’s leadership, is in the forefront of national and international efforts to establish seed health test standards. In recent years, Dr. McGee has worked tirelessly on national and international phytosanitary issues, participating in countless meetings involving seed health testing and international phytosanitary reform. He was a key member of a committee that developed the National Seed Health System (NSHA), a government and industry collaboration designed to address seed health and trade issues in an organized, scientific manner. Dr. McGee is recognized worldwide as a seedborne disease expert and has helped resolve numerous phytosanitary disputes between international trading partners. His efforts are helping promote science-based solutions to phytosanitary and qauarantine issues.