THE SALK Insitute for Biological Sciences scientist, Joanne Chory, one of the world-renowned plant biologists, has been awarded the 2018 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences because of her pioneering work in discovering how plants optimise their growth, development, and cellular structure to transform sunlight into chemical energy.
Chory received the award and the US$3 million cash prize, on Dec 3, at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. The prestigious award, which was founded in 2013 by Silicon Valley luminaries Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri and Julia Milner, honors top achievements in life sciences, physics, and mathematics.
“I’m truly honored to receive this award, humbled to be in such distinguished company and tremendously gratified that the study of plants, which is essential to developing everything from better agricultural practices to mitigating global warming, has been put in the spotlight with this award,” said Chory.
