BTI’s Greg Martin elected to National Academy

Greg Martin, Boyce Schulze Downey Professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute and Professor in the Faculty of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) at Cornell University, has been elected to the Countrywide Academy of Sciences.

Martin is just one of 150 new members introduced on May well 3. The firm recognizes his distinguished and continuing achievements in primary plant science study, particularly for furthering the being familiar with of plant–microbe interactions.

At BTI, scientists in Martin’s lab research the molecular basis of bacterial pathogenesis and the plant immune procedure. The prolonged-phrase objective of his analysis is to use expertise received about the molecular basis of plant–pathogen interactions to develop vegetation with enhanced organic resistance to illnesses.

“In our entire world of discovery investigation, becoming elected to the National Academy of Sciences is a sizeable and exceptional honor,” mentioned BTI President David Stern. “As just one of our most revered school, and as another person who has systematically and radically improved our understanding of plant–microbe interactions, Greg is most deserving of this professional recognition.”

The Martin lab generally focuses on speck disease of tomato, which is brought on by an infection of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Speck disease is an economically essential ailment that can minimize the yield and high-quality of tomatoes, and is also an outstanding experimental technique for learning the molecular mechanisms that underlie plant–pathogen interactions.

In the 1990’s, Martin formulated methods for making use of genetic linkage maps to isolate genes from tomato and cloned the Pto gene, which confers immunity to bacterial speck condition. In 2021, his lab uncovered a new gene, Ptr1, that allows defend tomatoes from another sort of speck-causing P. syringae.

“It is a good honor to acquire this recognition of the study completed in my lab above the past 30 several years by a series of gifted graduate college students, postdocs, undergraduates and exploration assistants,” reported Martin. “I have been lucky to have a joint appointment at BTI and Cornell, and I have benefited considerably from the collegiality, collaborative spirit and broad scientific abilities that is a hallmark of both establishments.”

Martin acquired his doctorate in genetics from Michigan Condition University in 1989. Pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship in Steve Tanksley’s lab at Cornell University, he grew to become an Assistant Professor in the Section of Agronomy at Purdue College in 1992, mounting to Associate Professor in 1996. In 1998, he recognized a joint appointment at BTI and in Cornell’s Section of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology. Martin was named Boyce Schulze Downey Professor at BTI in 2005.

Martin was awarded a David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in 1995 and is a fellow of the American Association for the Improvement of Science (2004) and American Academy of Microbiology (2005). He obtained the Noel Keen Award for Excellence in Molecular Plant Pathology from the American Phytopathological Society in 2010.

The NAS is a personal, nonprofit establishment that was proven below a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. At this time, it has about 2,400 energetic members and 500 international associates. The NAS acknowledges achievement in science by election to membership, and—with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine—provides science, engineering, and overall health plan information to the federal governing administration and other organizations.

About Boyce Thompson Institute:

Opened in 1924, Boyce Thompson Institute is a leading everyday living sciences study institution located in Ithaca, New York. BTI researchers perform investigations into fundamental plant and lifestyle sciences investigation with the aims of expanding meals protection, improving upon environmental sustainability in agriculture, and building fundamental discoveries that will boost human wellness. During this operate, BTI is committed to inspiring and educating learners and to giving sophisticated education for the upcoming era of experts. BTI is an independent nonprofit analysis institute that is also affiliated with Cornell College. For more information, you should check out BTIscience.org.

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