Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research

2023 Winner: Arthur Grossman

Carnegie Institution, Stanford, California

Arthur Grossman is renowned for pioneering discoveries in environmental sensing, signaling and response pathways in cyanobacteria and algae. His group discovered how complementary chromatic acclimation in cyanobacteria allows absorption of prevailing light by altering the composition of light-harvesting phycobilisomes, and it also identified underlying changes in gene expression and signal transduction. His parallel research on acclimation to nutrient limitation led to the discovery of the general principle that the balance between photosynthesis and growth is critical for survival. Arthur’s group also collaborated to reveal general principles of endosymbiosis and the evolution of a nascent photosynthetic organelle in a green amoeba,. His innovative work has enabled studies in non-model organisms, and led to the sequencing and annotation of the Chlamydomonas genome. Arthur has an exemplary record of scientific mentorship; he has been awarded the Darbaker Prize from the Botanical Society of America, the Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal from the National Academy of Sciences and was recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences.