We extend our congratulations to several IS-MPMI members who have been honored with prestigious awards recently.
2025 Wolf Prize in Agriculture
Congratulations to Jeff Dangl, the John N. Couch Distinguished Professor of Biology in the University of North Carolina College of Arts and Sciences and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, United States; Jonathan D. G. Jones, a senior scientist at the Sainsbury Laboratory, United Kingdom; and Brian J. Staskawicz, the Maxine J. Elliot Professor and chair of the Plant and Microbial Biology Department at the University of California, Berkeley, United States, on receiving the Wolf Prize in Agriculture. Often called the “Nobel Prize of Agriculture” this prize recognizes the groundbreaking work of Dangl, Jones, and Staskawicz in the plant immunity field.
Look for more about Drs. Dangl, Jones and Staskawicz in future issues of Interactions.
2025 Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
Congratulations to Roger Innes, distinguished professor of biology, Indiana University, United States, and Hailing Jin, professor and plant molecular geneticist biology and Cy Mouradick Endowed Chair, University of California, Riverside, United States, on their election as members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
2025 Novonesis Biotechnology Prize for Pioneering Work in Plant Microbiome Research
Congratulations to Julia Vorholt, professor at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and a long-standing member of IS-MPMI, who has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Novonesis Biotechnology Prize for Pioneering Work in Plant Microbiome Research by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (read more). This international honor recognizes her groundbreaking work uncovering the role of phyllosphere microbiota and advancing synthetic microbiome engineering—achievements that have reshaped our understanding of plant-microbe interactions and opened new avenues for sustainable agriculture.
Dr. Vorholt has been a vital contributor to IS-MPMI for nearly two decades, joining in 2007 and serving on the IS-MPMI Board of Directors from 2019 to 2023. Her commitment to the society and to mentoring the next generation of researchers has made a lasting impact on our community. We are thrilled to welcome her as a featured speaker at the 2025 IS-MPMI Congress in Cologne, Germany, where she will give a presentation during Plenary Session 3 on Monday, July 14. Her session promises to inspire and inform, continuing her legacy of pushing the boundaries of microbial biotechnology.
This recognition is not only a testament to Dr. Vorholt’s scientific vision and leadership, but also reflects the strength and global relevance of the plant-microbe interactions field. Her achievements remind us that fundamental discoveries—such as those she has made in microbial ecology, host-microbe interactions, and synthetic communities—can have profound translational impacts.
—Patricia Baldrich