image: Xuemei Chen is an associate professor of plant cell and molecular biology in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at UC Riverside. view more
Credit: S. LeMontree, UCR.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Xuemei Chen, an associate professor of plant cell and molecular biology in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at UC Riverside, has been awarded the Charles Albert Shull Award, the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) has announced.
This award was initiated in 1971 in honor Dr. Charles A. Shull, whose interest and support were largely responsible for the founding of ASPB. The annual award, worth $2,000, is given for outstanding research in plant biology by a scientist who is under 40 years of age or is less than 10 years from receiving their Ph.D. The winner also addresses ASPB members at its annual meeting the following year.
Chen's specialty is analysis of developmental mechanisms in plants with an emphasis on the role of RNA-based gene regulation. Her research is responsible for much of the current understanding of how microRNAs can control plant development. She is internationally recognized for her seminal research in organ development and RNA metabolism. Additionally, Chen is involved with a variety of professional activities, including serving as monitoring editor for Plant Physiology and as a member of the editorial board for RNA Biology.
A more detailed description of the award and Chen's research can be viewed at the ASPB website: http://www.aspb.org/awards/#charles.
ASPB, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, was founded in 1924 as the American Society of Plant Physiologists. The society changed the name to the American Society of Plant Biologists in 2001. This professional society has a membership of approximately 5,000 plant scientists from the United States and more than 50 other nations. ASPB publishes two of the most widely cited plant science journals in the world: The Plant Cell and Plant Physiology.
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