Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Paul Kramer Professor of Biology at Duke University

Dr. Benfey received a Diplome d’Etudes Universitaire General (DEUG) from the University of Paris VI, and then went to graduate school at Harvard Medical School, where he completed his thesis with Phil Leder in 1986. He performed post-doctoral work with Nam-Hai Chua at the Rockefeller University from 1987 to 1990 and was named an Assistant Professor there. In 1991 he started an independent laboratory at NYU where he rose through the ranks from Assistant Professor to Full Professor. In 2002 he moved to Duke University as chair of the Biology Department, a position he held for 5 years before becoming the Director of the Duke Center for Systems Biology. In 2007 he founded a biotechnology company, GrassRoots Biotechnology, which was sold to a multi-national firm in 2013. He then co-founded a second company, Hi Fidelity Genetics, which uses proprietary technology to monitor root growth in the field. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Birmingham

Dr. Foyer obtained her BSc at the University of Portsmouth, UK, and her PhD at Kings College, London, UK. She is the President of the Association of Applied Biologists, an elected Board Member of the American Society of Plant Biologists and a Member of the French Academy of Agriculture. She is also the Editor in Chief of Food and Energy Security. She is a senior Editor for Plant, Cell and Environment, an Associate Editor of the Biochemical Journal and Physiologia Plantarum, and an Editor of The Journal of Experimental Biology Christine has over 400 published papers and currently has an H-Index over 100. She is on the Thomson Reuters IP and Science official list of Highly Cited Researchers ranked within the top 1% most cited works for their subject field and year of publication, earning a mark of Exceptional Impact. She is an expert in plant metabolism and its regulation under optimal and stress conditions. Her lab focuses on the role of reduction/oxidation (redox) processes and signals regulate plant growth and stress tolerance, studying how primary processes (photosynthesis respiration) alter the redox status of cells and associated phytohormone signalling under optimal and stress conditions. Using model (Arabidopsis) as well as crop plants (wheat, barley, maize soybean and tomato) the lab investigates plant responses to abiotic (drought, heat, chilling, high light) and biotic (aphids) stresses.

Director of the Biosciences Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado

Dr. McCann came to NREL from Purdue University where she was a Professor of Biological Sciences, Director of Purdue’s NEPTUNE Center for Power and Energy, funded by the Office of Naval Research, and Director of Purdue’s Energy Center. Maureen also served as the Director of the Center for Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels (C3Bio), an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Prior to joining the faculty at Purdue, she was a project leader at the John Innes Centre Norwich, U.K., a government-funded research institute for plant and microbial sciences, funded by The Royal Society with a University Research Fellowship. She received her undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, U.K., and a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of East Anglia, UK. Her lab explores synthetic biology and genetic engineering approaches to optimize cell wall and biomass structure for conversion processes to fuels, chemicals, and materials.

Writer, science communicator, and professor in the Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics at Michigan State University (MSU)

Dr. Montgomery is also a member of the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory. At MSU, she also currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Research & Innovation. Her research centers on understanding how photosynthetic organisms adapt to their environment. She is the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award, is an MSU Foundation Professor, and elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (ASM), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and ASPB. Beronda was recently recognized as one of the inaugural 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America.

As a plant systems biologist, I can’t help but love complex systems. And that extends beyond our research into the structures, organizations, and human relationships that we are embedded in and contribute to. Being part of ASPB Forward is a gift for me, an opportunity to facilitate a new future for ASPB that is dynamic, inclusive, and community-driven. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve our community and those who may not be a part of it yet.

I became involved in ASPB as a second year graduate student having no knowledge of how the society worked, but immediately started questioning some of the procedures surrounding representation within the society. Over the past few years, I have worked with other early career scientists to create new avenues for ASPB’s younger community to have a seat at the table where decisions are being made. Being a part of ASPB Forward’s group is really important to me because I’ve seen the change that can happen when underrepresented people in our society are given a voice and I want to continue to push ASPB to serve its community as a whole.

Throughout my career in AgTech, I’ve been passionate about the power of partnerships and collaborations to drive breakthrough innovation and change. Getting the chance to be part of ASPBForward to support my community is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be on the ground floor of designing where we want to go as a community of Plant Biologists. Let’s imagine the future together.

I come from a background of plant biology and currently work to advance the teaching of data skills to researchers and educators. A lot of my work has centered on building community and helping researchers get the training they need to be successful. I hope ASPB Forward will be a way to adapt to the quickly changing needs of new researchers, make ASPB even more welcoming for new members, and amplify the voices of the next generation of plant scientists.

I am by nature an idealist who wants to make the world a better place. As a woman whose career started in chemistry, and someone who has lived and traveled across the globe, I’m well aware of the hurdles that come with being an “outsider”. I believe the ASPB Forward group will help create environments and opportunities that allow everyone to contribute and thrive.