MARTIN YANOFSKY , ’ 78 , PH . D .
DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY Paul D . Saltman Chair in Science Education
Research focus : I study the fundamental questions in plant development . For example , how does a group of undifferentiated stem cells give rise to a flower , a fruit or a root ?
Real-world impact : While we focus on basic science research , our studies have led to discoveries that have been utilized to dramatically increase the yield of agriculturally relevant crops . This can have many positive environmental impacts because it allows farmers to produce the same amount of yield on less land , with less water , chemical pesticides and fertilizers .
Photo : Brennan Romeril , ’ 11
What does an endowed chair position mean to you ? Funding from the endowed chair allows my team to take chances and explore high-risk projects that otherwise would likely go unfunded . For example , these funds helped us develop a project on plant embryonic stem cells that allowed us to make a major contribution to the stem cell field .
Throughout history , whose chair would you most want to sit in ? Francis Crick . The discovery of the structure of DNA certainly changed my whole life , and lives of everyone to come .
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