Brian J. Staskawicz

Prof. Brian John Staskawicz, Ph.D. is the Maxine J. Elliot Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology Department at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Staskawicz received his Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley, M.S. from Yale University and B.A. from Bates College. Dr. Staskawicz is recognized as a world leading plant molecular pathologist. His contributions include cloning the first bacterial effector gene and plant disease resistant genes. His current work involves elucidation of the molecular basis of plant innate immunity in both the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the agronomically important plants. A major focus in the laboratory currently involves employing genomic strategies including gene editing to engineer durable disease resistance in several crops species. He was elected a member of National Academy of Sciences in 1998 and is a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society and American Academy of Microbiology. Dr. Staskawicz is the recipient of a number of awards, including being named a Fulbright Scholar in 1991, the American Phytopathological Society’s Ruth Allen Award in 1995, the U.S.D.A. Honors Award in 1995, American Phytopathological Society’s Noel T. Keen Award for Excellence in Molecular Plant Pathology in 2004 and received a Doctor Honoris Causa, Wageningen University in 2013. Dr. Staskawicz serves as an external advisor to the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich. He also serves as an editor for P.N.A.S., Cell Host-Microbe.