Dr Joseph Arditti majored in floriculture as an undergraduate and received his doctorate from the University of Southern California in 1965. After serving as a lecturer for one year at the University of Southern California, he accepted a faculty position at the University of California, Irvine in 1966 where he taught General Botany, Horticulture, and Plant Physiology while engaging in research on various aspects of orchid biology in the US, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Dr Arditti retired in 2001 and is now Professor Emeritus. He continues to write and travel worldwide to lecture at scientific meetings and to orchid groups. He is acknowledged to be one of the world's leading experts on orchid biology and propagation.