Professor Zora Singh and Dr Francois Laurens, President of the International Society for Horticultural Science.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) Professor Zora Singh has been awarded the prestigious Fellow Award by the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), a rare distinction recognising outstanding and sustained contributions to horticultural science on the world stage.
The award was formally conferred at the ISHS Members Forum (General Assembly) on 26 August, during the 32nd International Horticultural Congress in, Japan, which brought together 2,500 delegates from 71 countries.
The ISHS Fellow Award is bestowed by the ISHS Council on members who have demonstrated highly meritorious achievements in horticultural science, together with exceptional scientific achievement, leadership and sustained international influence.
The distinction is deliberately reserved for a very small number of members. The number of living ISHS Fellows cannot exceed one per cent of the Society's total membership, averaged over the previous five years.
For Professor Singh, the honour represents the culmination of a career defined by academic excellence, scientific innovation, perseverance and a commitment to advancing horticultural science internationally.
"This recognition is a great honour and a responsibility to keep contributing to the advancement and global impact of horticultural science," he said.
Professor Singh's achievement is also a significant milestone for ECU, reflecting the global impact of research being undertaken at the University and its contribution to the broader horticulture research community and industry.
Founded in 1959, the ISHS is the world's leading independent organisation dedicated to horticultural science, bringing together researchers, institutions and industry partners from across the globe to advance knowledge, innovation and collaboration.
The Fellow Award recognises members whose contribution to the field has been sustained over many years, with recipients typically demonstrating an extensive body of peer-reviewed research or other significant contributions to horticultural science, alongside international leadership, conference participation and impact through research, technology transfer or the development of new cultivars.
Professor Singh's recognition places him among a select group of horticultural scientists internationally and celebrates a career that has made a lasting contribution to the field.
Professor Singh was awarded the 2026 American Society for Horticultural Science Outstanding International Horticulturist Award and in 2025 was elected as a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences for his work, and in 2024 was elected Australia's first educator to receive the American Society for Horticultural Science Outstanding Graduate Educator Award.
