| Authorised form of name | Long; Stephen P (1950-2025); plant environmental physiologist |
| Dates | 1950-2025 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Date of birth | 13 August 1950 |
| Date of death | 9 September 2025 |
| Occupation | Plant environmental physiologist |
| Research field | Environmental sciences |
| Agriculture |
| Plant physiology |
| Molecular Biology |
| Biochemistry |
| Biological models |
| Environmental biology |
| Activity | Education:
University of Reading BSc; University of Leeds PhD; University of Lancaster (DSc)
Career:
Joined University of Essex as lectuer (1975); followed by senior lecturer (1987); and reader (1988); obtaining full professorship (1990); Robert Emerson Professor of Plant Biology and of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois (1999-2008); worked at Tate & Lyle Ltd. Research Centre, the Smithsonian Institution (1989); worked at the University of Vienna (1989-1990); worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory (1992-1999); helped launch the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI), large research project a combined public-private partnership between the University of California at Berkeley, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the energy company BP (2007-2012); died of pancreatic cancer. |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 02/05/2013 |
| Age at election | 62 |
| Relationships | Spouse: Ann Long
Children: 2 |
| OtherInfo | Studied photosynthesis in crops. His research increased our understanding of how global climate change is affecting plants, and helped to inform approaches to increasing crop yields through improving the efficiency of photosynthesis.
Researched how rising carbon dioxide and ozone levels affect photosynthesis at a molecular level and how these changes could be mitigated by increasing use of herbaceous energy crops. He identified the so far most productive plants known in the wild and ascertained what sets these plants apart. He was also the first to show the potential of tropical Miscanthus grasses for sustainable bioenergy.
He has given briefings on food security and bioenergy to the US President, the Vatican and Bill Gates. |
| Source | The Royal Society Fellows Directory, [URL: https://royalsociety.org/people/stephen-long-11835/; last accessed: 15/10/2025]
The News Gazette, Stephen Long Obituary, [URL: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/news-gazette/name/stephen-long-obituary?id=59444734; last accessed: 15/10/2025] |
| Code | NA9854 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/2013/23 | Long, Stephen P: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 2 May 2013 |
| IM/007568 | Long, Stephen P | 2013 |