Geoff Baylis

Geoff Baylis
Born24 November 1913 
Died31 December 2003  (aged 90)
EducationDoctor of Philosophy, Master of Science 
Occupation
Parent(s)
  • Gerald Thomas de Sandford Baylis 
  • Kathleen Daisy Baylis 
RelativesGeraldine Chamberlain 
Awards
  • Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi (1961)
  • honorary doctor of Massey University (2006, Honorary Doctor of Letters) 
Academic career
ThesisThe influence of certain fungi on the germination of peas; and, A physiological study of the pathogenicity of several species of Sclerotinia, Some observations on Avicennia officinalis Linn in New Zealand
Academic advisorOlga Livia Gertrude Adams, William Brown
Doctoral studentsPeter Johnson
Author abbrev. (botany)G.T.S.Baylis

Geoffrey Thomas Sandford Baylis (24 November 1913 – 31 December 2003) was a New Zealand botanist and Emeritus Professor specialising in plant pathology and mycorrhiza. He was employed at the University of Otago for 34 years undertaking research into plant and fungal ecology and symbiotic interactions, taxonomy and anatomy. He collected hundreds of plant specimens in the field and founded the Otago Regional Herbarium (OTA). He discovered the sole Pennantia baylisiana living on Three Kings Island in 1945, and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1961.