| Authorised form of name | Chory; Joanne (1935-2024); biologist and geneticist |
| Dates | 1935 - 2024 |
| Nationality | American |
| Place of birth | Methuen, Massachusetts, USA |
| Date of birth | 19 March 1935 |
| Place of death | La Jolla, California, USA |
| Date of death | 12 November 2024 |
| Occupation | biologist and geneticist |
| Research field | Plant science |
| Environmental biology |
| Population genetics |
| Cell biology |
| Molecular biology |
| Biochemistry |
| Genetics |
| Biology |
| Activity | Education:
Oberlin College, Ohio BS, Biology; University of Illinois,Urbana–Champaign PhD, Microbiology
Career:
Postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Medical School in the lab of Frederick M. Ausubel, molecular biologist and professor of genetics; assistant professor, SALK Institute (1988); professor and director of the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies; Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator; diagnosed with Parkinson's disease but continued working (2004).
Awards/Medals:
American Society of Plant Biologists, Charles Albert Schull Award 1995
L'Oreal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science 2000
Research Leader in Agriculture 2003
Kumho Science International Award in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology 2004
Genetics Society of America Medal 2012
Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences 2018
Gruber Prize in Genetics 2018
Princess of Asturias Award 2019
Benjamin Franklin Medal 2024
Wolf Prize in Agriculture 2024 |
| Membership category | Foreign Member |
| Date of election | 19/05/2011 |
| Age at election | 76 |
| Relationships | Siblings: 5
Spouse: Stephen Worland
Children: Katie and Joe. |
| PublishedWorks | RCN R81278 |
| OtherInfo | Joanne Chory used molecular and genetic tools to investigate how plants alter their shape and size in response to changes in their light environment. Through her study of the small flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana, her research revealed signalling pathways that connect cellular light sensors to the production of hormones that stimulate plant growth.
Joanne and her colleagues identified the genes in Arabidopsis which control the plants’ nightly growth spurts. By learning how molecular triggers impact plant growth, Joanne hoped that her research would contribute to efforts to increase crop yields and help alleviate world hunger. |
| Source | The Royal Society Fellows Directory, Professor Joanne Chory ForMemRS, [URL: https://royalsociety.org/people/joanne-chory-11221/; last accessed: 23/04/2025]
Joanne Chory obituary, Wolfgang Busch, Nature 637, 28 (2025), [URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-04166-8; last accessed: 23/04/2025]
Salk News, Joanne Chory, Salk Institute professor and pioneering plant biologist, dies at age 69, 13 November 2024, [URL: https://www.salk.edu/news-release/joanne-chory-salk-institute-professor-and-pioneering-plant-biologist-dies-at-age-69/; last accessed: 23/04/2025] |
| Code | NA9712 |