Jeffrey Bennetzen
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Lynn Bennetzen is an American geneticist
on the faculty of the University of Georgia
(UGA).
He received his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of California, San Diego
in 1974 and his doctoral degree in biochemistry from the University of Washington
in 1980. After earning his Ph.D., he served as a postdoctoral fellow from 1980 through 1981 at Washington University, Stanford University
and the University of California, Berkeley
. From 1981 to 1983 he was a research scientist at the International Plant Research Institute.
In 1983, Bennetzen became an Assistant Professor at Purdue University
and eventually became a full Professor in 1991 and H. Edwin Umbarger Distinguished Professor of Genetics in 1999. After two decades at Purdue, he joined the faculty at UGA in 2003 as a Professor of Genetics and Norman Giles Eminent Scholar Chair in Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics. He is also a member of UGA's interdisciplinary Institute of Bioinformatics.
Bennetzen's research interests include plant genome structure/evolution and gene function relationships, genetic diversity in under-utilized crops of the developing world, rapid evolution of complex disease resistance loci in plants, fine structure recombinational analysis, and the coevolution of plant/microbe and plant/parasite interactions.
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
on the faculty of the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
(UGA).
He received his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
in 1974 and his doctoral degree in biochemistry from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in 1980. After earning his Ph.D., he served as a postdoctoral fellow from 1980 through 1981 at Washington University, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. From 1981 to 1983 he was a research scientist at the International Plant Research Institute.
In 1983, Bennetzen became an Assistant Professor at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
and eventually became a full Professor in 1991 and H. Edwin Umbarger Distinguished Professor of Genetics in 1999. After two decades at Purdue, he joined the faculty at UGA in 2003 as a Professor of Genetics and Norman Giles Eminent Scholar Chair in Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics. He is also a member of UGA's interdisciplinary Institute of Bioinformatics.
Bennetzen's research interests include plant genome structure/evolution and gene function relationships, genetic diversity in under-utilized crops of the developing world, rapid evolution of complex disease resistance loci in plants, fine structure recombinational analysis, and the coevolution of plant/microbe and plant/parasite interactions.
Education and honors
- Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, Biology, University of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, San DiegoThe University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, 1974 - Ph.D.Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, Biochemistry, University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, 1980 - Member, National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
- Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Centenary Professorship, University of HyderabadUniversity of HyderabadThe University of Hyderabad is a post-graduate teaching and research institute in India. It was established by an act of the Parliament in 1974 as a Central University. The university also offers courses under distance learning programs...
, 2002 - Umbarger Endowed Professorship in Genetics, 1999
- Sigma XiSigma XiSigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
Faculty Research Award, 1995 - Fulbright Award, 1990.
- Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, 1986. - McKnight Foundation Award in Plant Biology, 1986.
- Co-editor, The Plant CellThe Plant CellThe Plant Cell is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of plant biology, especially the areas of cell and molecular biology, genetics, development, and evolution. It is published by the American Society of Plant Biologists...
(1996-2003)