Prof Micheal LcLaughlin is an environmental scientist of international status who has made an outstanding contribution to our understanding of the behaviour of nutrients and contaminants in the terrestrial environment. His work has provided a new scientific basis for the regulation and control of trace contaminants in the Australian environment, as well as contributing to the development of new manufactured fertilisers - his expertise thus spans a wide range of disciplines. He now leads the main global professional society in environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology (SETAC) and his research has global influence through alliances with the world's largest companies and industry organisations.