To celebrate the incredible career of Emeritus Professor Michael Gillings who retired from the School of Natural Sciences in March, we asked him about his most memorable research spots and what he wants his lasting legacy to be.

1. How long have you been at Macquarie University and what brought you here?
I first came to Macquarie University as a high school student in the mid-1970s, when I used the University’s library to read up about genetics and DNA. I then spent the next decade as a Macquarie University student, doing a BA, BSc (Hons) and finally a PhD. From 1986 to 1996, I was a Research Scientist in the NSW Department of Agriculture, but always aimed to come back to Macquarie. I was drawn back to Macquarie by its culture of collegiality, egalitarianism and cross-disciplinarity, an openness of intellect that is mirrored by the beautiful open green spaces of the campus. In 1996, the opportunity to return to Macquarie came about with my appointment into the Key Centre for Biodiversity, hosted in Biological Sciences. I have been on staff since then.

2. Tell us a bit about your research
My lifelong fascination has been DNA – how it works, how it changes over evolutionary time, and how it generates the beauty and diversity of life on earth. Because DNA is in every living thing, it has allowed me to work on many different organisms, from viruses to bacteria and fungi, from insects to giant clams, to reef fish, sharks, birds, marsupials and humans. This research has taken me to some amazing places, but the two locations that are dearest to my heart are the Great Barrier Reef and the deep desert of Central Australia. A timeline of some of my research over the years can be found at Evolution of a Distinguished Career - ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology (coesb.com.au)

3. What drives you?
I am driven by curiosity about life and am endlessly fascinated by what we are yet to know about this planet. Along with this fascination comes a duty to protect the living world, upon which we all depend for our health and happiness. Part of what I hope I have achieved is to have passed on this fascination and inspired a sense of stewardship in my undergraduate and postgraduate students. A recent focus of my research and thinking has been about understanding the Anthropocene – the most recent geological era, precipitated by human impacts on the planet. I am interested in what the inevitable changes to climate and biogeochemistry will mean for living things, and how humans might manage the planet for their own welfare, and for the welfare of all the other organisms on our planet.

4. Another interest of yours is ephemeral art, tell us a bit about it and why you do it
Art and science are the two great inventions of human culture. They share more similarities than differences, despite the common misapprehension that they represent polar opposites. They both involve close observation of the world and communication of fundamental truths about that world. Both involve dedication, skill and reflection. I have always thought that science informs my art, and vice versa. One form of sculpture that I love doing is ephemeral art, pioneered by British artist Andy Goldsworthy. The artist anonymously constructs the artwork with natural materials, then leaves the piece to be discovered. The viewer is then left to wonder who made it and why. At a deeper level, I hope that the students who find these sculptures reflect on the ephemeral nature of the world, as entropy inevitably merges the sculpture back into the environment, and its materials degrade. You can also learn more about it here and see a time-lapse of one of my works here.

5. What are you focusing on for the rest of 2023?
I have now retired and transitioned to Emeritus Professor. So, the rest of 2023 will be concentrating on my work-life balance, and paying more attention to family, friends and loved ones. I will continue to contribute to research at the University, particularly ongoing research in the Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology. I will also be concentrating on my most recent fascination, the biodiversity of fungi in forest ecosystems. Despite having orders of magnitude more species than animals and plants, most Australian fungi are not yet described. These hidden species are central to plant health and ecosystem function, but we know very little about them.