Expert awarded one of USA’s highest honours in science

A crop scientist from St John’s has been elected as an international member of the USA National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her pioneering research.

St John’s Fellow Professor Uta Paszkowski, Acting Director of The Crop Science Centre, where she is head of the Cereal Symbiosis group, has been recognised for her significant and sustained contributions to scientists’ understanding of how symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi form and function.

Professor Paszkowski, who is College Director of Studies for Natural Sciences (Biological) and for Plant Sciences, and College Lecturer in Plant Sciences, said: “I still cannot believe this is true and thank the National Academy of Sciences for the recognition of our work, but even more I feel an immense gratitude to my team for all the wonderful science that we do together.”

Election to the historic National Academy of Sciences, which was established in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, is one of the highest honours in the scientific field in the United States. Its members serve as ‘advisers to the nation’ on science, engineering and medicine.

Professor Paszkowski is one of only 30 new international members elected to academy in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The academy has elected a further 120 US members this year.

Symbioses have huge nutritional benefit to plants. Professor Paszkowski’s approach of using cereals to probe these relationships has provided unique insights that are relevant both to understanding of how organisms interact with one another, and to improving nutrition of major staple crops.  

In 2023 she was elected a member of the Leopoldina, the German National Academy of Sciences, and in 2020 she was awarded membership of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) in recognition of her remarkable scientific achievements and pioneering research.

The newly-elected members of the academy bring the total number of active members to 2,662 with the international membership standing at 556.