Dear PMB Community,
This fall semester we have been delighted to introduce two new outstanding plant biology faculty members. Dr. Becky Bart has joined us as a Full Professor and the Scientific Director of the Plant Gene Expression Center. Her lab operates at the intersection of plant pathogens, the crops they devastate, and how climate change-related environmental stresses influence plant disease severity. We also welcome Assistant Professor Yan Gong, whose lab will study the development of plant nectaries, which produce the nectar in flowers to attract pollinators and aid in reproduction. They join last year’s faculty hire, fungal biologist Lotus Lofgren, and collectively will help shape the future of PMB.
Our two PhD programs continue to rank among the very best in the nation, and our faculty are consistently viewed as world leaders. PMB faculty honors this year include the Wolf Prize in Agriculture (coined the ‘Nobel prize of agriculture’) for groundbreaking discoveries of the immune system and disease resistance in plants (Brian Staskawicz), the 2024 John Webster Award for outstanding contribution to fungal biology research over an extended career (John Taylor), the 2025 Charles Albert Shull Award for exceptional investigations in the field of plant biology (Patrick Shih), and rankings among the top 1% worldwide in scholarly citations (Sheng Luan, John Taylor, and Igor Grigoriev). We are also proud of our exceptional quality of instruction, with Professor Matt Traxler winning the Rausser College of Natural Resources Distinguished Teaching Award. The accomplishments of current and past PMB trainees also regularly garner impressive recognition—among the many examples are Yue Clare Lou (PMB BS and PhD), who was named in the 2025 Forbes’ 30 under 30 list and postdoc Kathrine Ennis, one of five women receiving the L'Oréal USA 2024 For Women in Science award for her contribution to STEM fields.
The PMB community is working to adapt to the evolving national funding landscape. Inspired by a remarkable $10,000 personal commitment from PMB faculty, our collaboration with UC Berkeley's "Big Give" fundraiser in March raised over seven times the funds compared to previous years. This, coupled with a significant increase in alums and donor participation, is helping PMB thrive. We are deeply grateful to all who made the 2025 fundraiser a success and look forward to expanding this network of supporters.
We also launched a new "Industry & Agricultural Stakeholders Alliances" working group this year. This initiative aims to foster partnerships with local biotechnology companies, creating career training and entrepreneurial opportunities that enhance our researchers' translational impact. We're building on recent entrepreneurial successes, such as Professor John Coates' establishment of a new International Bioeconomy Macroalgae Center at UC Berkeley.
PMB's outstanding reputation is built upon the foundation laid by our emeritus faculty. We sadly lost two pillars of our community in July: Russell Jones and Andy Jackson. Russell was a leader, an inspirational scientist, an educator, and a mentor to many in PMB. His research focused on plant responses to environmental signals, particularly seed dormancy and germination. He co-edited the widely used "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants" textbook and received the Berkeley Citation Award for his distinguished and extraordinary service to the University. Andy Jackson, a former PMB chair and dedicated teacher, was a pioneering plant virologist whose lab made key discoveries in RNA virus replication, gene silencing, and reverse genetics. Andy received the Ruth Allen Award and was an elected AAAS Fellow. Russell and Andy left an enduring impact on the department and their respective fields.
In closing, PMB flourishes as a community of scientifically outstanding, kind, and diverse individuals dedicated to a sustainable future. We invite you to join us as we "See the Bigger Picture and Make a Better World."
Sincerely,
Britt Glaunsinger (PMB Chair) and Kris Niyogi (PMB Associate Chair)