Andrew O. Jackson

Andrew O. Jackson (born 1941) is an American plant virologist.

Early life and education
Born near Enterprise, Alabama in 1941 on his family's farm. While growing up he observed diseases of insect pests, and roamed through the surrounding countryside with small wild animals, giving him early exposure to organisms which would later become his professional interest.

Jackson graduated with a Bachelor of Science in botany and plant pathology in 1964 from Oklahoma State University, then a Master of Science in plant pathology in 1967 from the same institution. In 1970, Jackson earned a PhD in plant pathology and microbiology from the University of Manitoba under Drs. D. J. Samborski and Roland Rohringer.

Career and research
Immediately in 1970, he took a postdoctoral position in plant virology at University of Arizona.

In 1984, he was recommended by Jack Morris to fill a tenured vacancy at the University of California, Berkeley where Morris was already a professor. Until 1990 they worked together often and become closely associated in their research and publications.

After visiting China in 1998 — Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai — in 2004 Jackson began taking sabbaticals every year for three or four months to China Agricultural University and Zhejiang University as a researcher and lecturer. He continued for the next decade until his retirement in 2014.

Awards
Recipient of the Ruth Allen Award in 2005.