Basil Eric Balme (13 June 1923 – 10 July 2023) was an Australian palynologist, considered as one of the pioneers in the field of palynology in Australia as well as one of its greatest contributors.

Balme completed the first year of the geology course before enlisting in the Royal Australian Navy in 1942 during World War II at the age of 19.

Honours year with a groundbreaking study of Permian miospores in the Collie Coalfield, near Bunbury, Western Australia.

In 1949, Balme was presented with an opportunity to pursue a PhD degree at the University of Nottingham, but this plan shifted when his potential supervisor accepted a position elsewhere.

During this time, he and John Hennelly published a triad of papers which laid the foundations of Permian spore-pollen systematics in Australia.

His extensive collaboration with the petroleum exploration industry significantly shaped his career, as Balme's age determinations through palynomorphs were crucial for stratigraphic correlations and to find more oil deposits.

[2] His contributions extended beyond research, as he served in various administrative roles at the university, such as Faculty of Science Dean and Department Head.