Spencer Charles Hilton Barrett

Spencer Charles Hilton Barrett (born June 7, 1948) He is currently University Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto.

Education Barrett attended University of Reading in England for his undergraduate education.

Research and career Barrett's interests are in evolutionary biology, evolutionary genetics, evolutionary ecology and plant reproduction. the flagship scientific journal in the biological sciences of the Royal Society.

Barrett is an evolutionary biologist and a worldwide authority on the ecology and genetics of plant reproduction. His work has focused on increasing understanding of how flowers evolve and the mechanisms responsible for mating system transitions in flowering plants.

Barrett provided the first experimental evidence for the purging of deleterious genes following inbreeding in plants. He also demonstrated that self-fertilization owing to large floral displays in plants can have a detrimental effect on the male fertility of plants.

Barrett's research group at the University of Toronto focuses on understanding the mechanisms responsible for the evolution of plant mating strategies, and he has edited several leading books in the field.

Awards and honours Barrett was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1998 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2004.

In 2006 the Canadian Botanical Association awarded him the George Lawson Medal for lifetime achievement in botany. In 2008 he received the Sewall Wright Award from the American Society of Naturalists. In 2020 the Linnean Society of London award him the Darwin–Wallace Medal. In April 2020 Spencer Barrett was elected an International Member (Foreign Associate) of the National Academy of Sciences.