Professor Kingsley Dixon, Director of Science at Kings Park is a specialist in the ecology, restoration and conservation biology of Australian native plants and ecosystems with a special emphasis on the conservation biology of Australian terrestrial orchids. He has led the science group at Kings Park and Botanic Garden for the past 20 years in developing the principles of integrated conservation by building a strong multi-disciplinary approach. Research teams comprise scientists and postgraduate students specialising in seed ecology and biology, propagation science, germplasm conservation, conservation genetics and restoration ecology. This research group has contributed significantly to seed science in Australia, with advances in understanding seed dormancy. Dr. Dixon was instrumental over the past 12 years in leading and working with the research team that led to the discovery of the chemical in smoke responsible for the germination in seeds of Australian and other agricultural and horticultural species. He is the inaugural Permanent Visiting Professor in the School of Plant Biology at The University of Western Australia.