John Stewart Pate

John Stewart Pate (15 January 1932 – 1 July 2023) was a plant scientist at Queen's University Belfast and University of Western Australia. He was the co-discoverer of the function of transfer cells. He worked on carbon-nitrogen relationships, particularly in legumes and also the ecophysiology of the native flora of Western Australia.

Education and personal life Pate was born on 15 January 1932 in Ilford in Essex in the UK. His interest in plants started as a child when his family grew food during the Second World War.

He studied at Queen's University, Belfast, obtaining BSc (Hons) in 1953 followed by MSc in 1954 and his doctorate in 1956. He worked as an Assistant Lecturer between 1954 and 1956 while working towards his doctorate. He was awarded a DSc in 1965.

Pate played the piano, organ and trombone in a local orchestra and church. He died 1 July 2023.

His research focused on plant ecology and physiology, particularly the relationship between the phloem and xylem and carbon and nitrogen transfer. He made extensive investigations of the latter in root nodules, using peas as an experimental system, inspired by his childhood experiences. and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1985.