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Awards for four Exceptional Plant Scientists

The awarded scientists (counter clockwise starting top left): Dr. Constantin Mario Zohner, Dr. Eva-Sophie Wallner, Dr. Moisés Expósito Alonso and Dr. Jessica Lee Erickson. Photos: Jaimie Crowther, Jörg Abendroth, Tobias Jung, and Carolin Alfs

How climate change influences growing seasons length in woody plants and survival of flowers, the substances that influence shape changes of plastids, and the proteins that spur phloem differentiation are in the research focus of the four plant scientists who will receive the science prices of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG) this year. Dr. Constantin Mario Zohner, Dr. Jessica Lee Erickson, Dr. Moisés Expósito Alonso and Dr. Eva-Sophie Wallner will get their awards during the Botanikertagung, the International Plant Science Conference in Rostock, Germany. From 16th to 18th September, the four will present their research results to the more than 420 conference participants.

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Contact information

Eduard Strasburger Awardee: Dr. Constantin Mario Zohner

ETH Zürich
Universitätsstrasse 16
8092 Zürich
Schweiz
Phone: +41 44 633 83 87
E-mail: constantin.zohner[at]t-online.de  

Wilhelm Pfeffer Awardee: Dr. Jessica Lee Erickson

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Institutsbereich Genetik
Prof. Dr. Ulla Bonas Labor
Weinbergweg 10 – Biologicum
06120 Halle (Saale)
Germany
Phone: +49 345 5526286
E-mail: jessica.erickson2525[at]gmail.com  

Wilhelm Pfeffer Awardee: Dr. Moisés Expósito Alonso

Carnegie's Department of Plant Biology
Stanford University
260 Panama Street
Stanford, CA 94305, USA
E-mail: mexpositoalonso[at]carnegiescience.edu

Horst Wiehe Awardee: Dr. Eva-Sophie Wallner

Stanford University
Dominique Bergmann lab
371 Serra Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA
Tel.: +1 650 665-3913
E-mail: ewallner[at]stanford.edu 

Holding the laudation: Prof. Dr. Karl-Josef Dietz, President of the German Society for Plant Sciences (DBG)

Lehrstuhl Biochemie und Physiologie der Pflanzen, Fakultät für Biologie, Universität Bielefeld, Postfach 100131, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany
Phone: +49-(0)521-106 5589
E-mail: karl-josef.dietz[at]uni-bielefeld.de
Website: http://web.biologie.uni-bielefeld.de/pflanzenbiochemie/

Holding the laudation: Prof. Dr. Christian Wilhelm, President of DBG’s Wilhelm Pfeffer Foundation

Institut für Biologie, Abteilung Pflanzenphysiologie, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Phone: +49-(0)341-9736870
E-mail: cwilhelm[at]rz.uni-leipzig.de
Web: https://biologie.biphaps.uni-leipzig.de/ag/pflaphys/

Titles of the awarded theses

Constantin Mario Zohner (2016): The biogeography, evolution, and function of leaf-out phenology studied with experimental, monitoring, and phylogenetic approaches. Dissertation, Fakultät für Biologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/21673/1/Zohner_Constantin.pdf  

Jessica Lee Erickson (2019): Shaping plastid stromules.  Dissertation, Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.25673/13909

Moisés Expósito Alonso (2018): On climate change and genetic evolution in Arabidopsis thaliana. Dissertation. Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology and Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15496/publikation-26332  

Eva-Sophie Wallner (2018): Early events in phloem formation: Exploring the molecular network of SMXL3/4/5, Fakultät für Biowissenschaften. Heidelberg, Universität Heidelberg. Dissertation (Dr. rer. nat): 128. DOI: http://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00025313 URL: www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/25313

Further Information

Since 1994 the German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) awards the Eduard Strasburger Prize for exceptional and original research results. Springer Spektrum (www.springer-spektrum.de) provides the endowment biannually. The Foundation was initiated on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the first edition of "Lehrbuch der Botanik für Hochschulen" written by Eduard Strasburger, Fritz Noll, Heinrich Schenck and A. F. Wilhelm Schimper in the year 1894. The election of the winner is reviewed by a jury consisting of the authors of the next circulation of „Strasburger Lehrbuch der Botanik", DBG’s president and the biology planner from Springer Spektrum. See details: https://www.deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de/en/about-us/promoting-young-scientists/eduard-strasburger-prize/

The German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) awards the Wilhelm Pfeffer Prize for an outstanding PhD thesis (dissertation) in the field of plant sciences and scientific botany. The award of 2,500 Euros and the award from DBG’s own Wilhelm Pfeffer Foundation is considered to promote young scientists. The candidate is evaluated by a jury of foundation’s board members. Details: https://www.deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de/en/about-us/promoting-young-scientists/wilhelm-pfeffer-prize/

The German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) awards the Horst Wiehe Prize every other year for outstanding research results exclusively in the plant sciences. It is given solely to young scientists upon receiving a doctorate or before becoming a lecturer. Details: https://www.deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de/en/about-us/promoting-young-scientists/horst-wiehe-prize/ 

The German Society for Plant Sciences (Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft, DBG) is the largest organisation for plant scientists in the German speaking area. It is a not-for-profit organisation and was founded more than 125 years ago. The DBG furthers early career scientist and unites all scientific botanists and plant scientists, ranging from molecular and genetic biologists to vegetation sociologists and ecosystem scientists. DBG also supports the scientific exchange among its more than 850 members. DBG is one of the founding members of the umbrella organisation for biologist in Germany, VBIO. More: https://www.deutsche-botanische-gesellschaft.de/en/