Andrew O. Jackson, a renowned plant virologist whose research advanced scientific understanding of host-pathogen interactions and the biology of plant viruses, died on July 6, 2025. He was 84.
Jackson was born on April 14, 1941, on a farm growing cotton, corn, and peanuts near Enterprise, Alabama. In his 2021 autobiography, Jackson credited his upbringing with fueling his intense interest in nature. He recalled being fascinated by the aphids and boll weevils he found while hoeing crops, and intrigued by the mosaic leaf patterns he observed on peas in the family garden. But despite being a voracious reader and a curious soul, he was aware that his family’s farm income was insecure and insufficient to support higher education.
Jackson enlisted in the Alabama National Guard at the age of 17, completed basic training after graduating high school, and transferred to Fort Sill near Lawton, Oklahoma. While at Fort Sill, a fellow trainee who was also a student at Cameron State Junior College introduced Jackson to Emmett Meraz, Cameron State’s dean of students. By 1960, Meraz helped Jackson begin his academic career, arranging for a tuition waiver to offset his costs and finding him a janitorial job at a nearby hospital to cover his living expenses. Jackson subsequently earned a BS and MS from Oklahoma State University and completed a PhD in plant pathology and microbiology from the University of Manitoba in 1970.
One of the most widely renowned plant virologists in the world, Jackson sought to understand how viruses elicit plant diseases and devise mechanisms for disease control in transgenic plants. He joined Purdue University as a professor of Botany and Plant Pathology in 1973 and began studying two viruses with distinct strategies of replication: Sonchus yellow net virus (SYNV), a negative-strand plant rhabdovirus that replicates in the nucleus; and barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV), a tripartite plus-sense RNA virus that replicates in the cytoplasm. Through his research, Jackson helped bridge the gap between basic and applied plant pathology by pioneering the use of molecular biology methods—including genetic and biochemical analyses.
Jackson’s studies of BSMV would earn him one of the first USDA Competitive Grants, funding that supported him for most of his career—including when he left Purdue in 1985 to join the UC Berkeley Department of Plant Pathology (a precursor of the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology). He advanced foundational knowledge of the virus by identifying the proteins that govern cell-to-cell movement and enabled the use of BSMV as a virus-induced gene silencing vector now widely used in monocot crops. Jackson’s lab was among the first research groups to establish reverse genetics systems for plant rhabdoviruses, enabling targeted genetic manipulation and deeper insight into viral protein functions. They found that each virus establishes unique host associations during infection, and that each virus gene plays multiple roles in pathogenesis and mediates distinct host responses. His lab also demonstrated nuclear replication of SYNV—a unique feature among plant rhabdoviruses—and spent five years defining genome organization and replication mechanisms.
In addition to his scientific advances, Jackson often regarded his greatest achievement and contribution to academia as helping students—both at Berkeley and around the world—realize their aspirations. He mentored over 40 PhD students and postdocs during his career, and many of his students went on to lead academic, industry, and public health virology programs. He supported students from different backgrounds, including underrepresented groups and international scholars, and promoted diversity and inclusion in his lab.
“Andy loved teaching and mentoring—he co-taught Comparative Virology for 25 years, as well as portions of Plant Biotechnology and freshman seminars,” said Britt Glaunsinger, professor and chair of PMB. In 2008, Jackson began teaching the freshman seminar, “Viruses, Health, and Society,” which offered 15 incoming students an opportunity to explore virology research under his mentorship. Jackson also taught a six-week graduate-level course in comparative virology at China Agricultural University in Beijing for several years, as well as a month-long graduate-level Plant Virology minicourse at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. In everything he did, Jackson sought to present stimulating and contemporary lectures, encouraged interactive discussions, and provided students with as much guidance as possible on career options.
Jackson’s professional service extended well beyond his research and teaching. As department chair from 1999 to 2003, Jackson helped guide PMB through a period of transformation and growth. He was also a member of UC Berkeley’s Committee for Laboratory and Environmental Biosafety, participated in numerous faculty searches, and served on other college committees and numerous graduate student guidance committees. Jackson’s reputation as a leader with a deep commitment to the greater scientific community made him a valued editorial board member for multiple scientific journals, including Virology, Molecular Plant Pathology, and The Plant Cell. He also shaped research funding priorities as chair or co-chair of several important USDA grant panels and as an executive committee member of the Center for Engineering Plants for Resistance Against Pathogens, which was supported by the National Science Foundation.
A prolific scholar, Jackson published over 170 journal articles and book chapters during his career—work that has been cited thousands of times and continues to influence the field of plant and animal virology. His group’s techniques in virus purification, polysome analysis, and in situ localization set benchmarks, and he co-developed the pGD (Goodin-Dietzgen) vector for high-efficiency protein expression in plants, which remains a widely used tool. Jackson’s distinction in the field was recognized when he was elected a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society (APS) in 1991 and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1994. He was later honored with the Ruth Allen Award in 2005—one of APS’ highest honors—for his dedication to fostering recognition of plant virology within the nonplant community and for encouraging other plant pathologists to use molecular genetic techniques in their research.
Above all, Jackson is remembered as a loyal and cherished father to Martha Porter; a grandfather to Ian and Xander Porter; and a dedicated partner to Hoa Truong, to whom he served as a guiding figure for her five daughters: Kristina, Katherine, Kelly, Karen, and Kirsten. He was a beloved friend and chosen family to countless others.
Read More
- Obituary: Andrew Otis Jackson
- Reflections on a Career in Plant Virology: A Chip Floating on a Stream (Annual Reviews)
- Bio: Andrew Otis Jackson (American Phytopathological Society)
