Associate Professor Michael Djordjevic obtained a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours from the University of Queensland in 1980 and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the ANU in 1984. He was awarded an Australian National Research Fellowship in 1984 and a Post Doctoral Fellowship from the Australian Wool Board Trust Fund in 1985. He is a Chief Investigator and Node Leader in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research (CILR).  His seminal research identified key components of the molecular dialogue between rhizobia and legumes. He was an early pioneer of the application of proteomics and mass spectrometry to address problems in biology. A long term interest is the molecular analysis of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway and the role of flavonoids in regulating plant development. In collaboration with Professor Parish at the John Curtin Medical School of Medical Research and other CILR researchers he has identified Rhizobium-derived Nod factors, potent regulators of plant development, as modulators of mammalian angiogenesis. He has initiated research to understand the lipid biosynthesis pathway in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the application of this research to biofuel production. His recent interest includes identifying new molecules, especially regulatory secondary metabolites and microRNAs, that control plant development.