Professor Shelley Lumba has earned the OlChemIm Award from the International Plant Growth Substances Association (IPGSA) for “outstanding contributions to plant signaling research on strigolactone and seed germination”.
This award is infrequently granted and was only revealed at the IPGSA banquet during their triennial meeting this year in Colorado. Lumba felt astonishment as her name was announced and was grateful for the ensuing wave of applause.
Lumba had brought her teenage daughter to the banquet, which made the experience even more special.
The announcer cited the impressive accomplishments that earned Lumba her award; the IPGSA Council recognized that her body of work was “at the edge of innovation” with a focus on “new approaches”.
“I’m appreciative that they recognized that I’ve always tried to think ‘outside the box’ in my career”, Lumba asserts. “They know I have the perseverance to keep going with difficult questions to get to the big biological principles.
“The parasitic plant Striga is seen as an intractable weed, but my approach focusing on the strigolactone hormone may alleviate the famines brought on by this pest.
“I also pursued the idea that small molecules could be the link between plants and fungi like yeast and, even in the face of skepticism, found important connections at the molecular and environmental level with respect to metabolism and seed germination.”
Lumba notes the great work of her trainees, who keep the lab vibrant and productive. As she supports their projects, she keeps their futures in mind with a focus on where their careers can grow after her lab.
The IPGSA is the top organization for plant signaling research. Their triennial meetings host talks that reveal stunning discoveries on the small molecules and peptides that regulate how plants grow and develop at the level of root, stalk, seed, leaf and flower.
Molecular synthesis company OlChemIm is a key supplier of small molecules, including plant hormones. The IPGSA OlChemIm Award is granted to mid-career researchers with outstanding contributions. Past winners include Dame Ottoline Leyser, a world leader in deciphering the role of the auxin hormone.
Professor Shelley Lumba has now joined this august group. Congratulations, Shelley!