Joanne Chory Awarded a $3 Million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

Joanne Chory, a professor and director of the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, and an adjunct professor of biological science at the University of California, San Diego, is one of five winners of the 2018 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences.

The Breakthrough Prizes were established in 2012 by Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, Anne Wojcicki, founder of the genetics firm 23andMe, and Russian philanthropist Yuri Milner. The prizes are awarded in three categories: fundamental physics, life sciences, and mathematics. Seven $3 million prizes were awarded this year; five in life sciences and one each in mathematics and physics.

Professor Chory was honored for “discovering how plants optimize their growth, development, and cellular structure to transform sunlight into chemical energy.” Recently, she is using her knowledge on plant biology to address issues of climate change.

Dr. Chory is a graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, where she majored in biology. She holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Illinois and did postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School.