Libo Shan, Ph.D., professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, has been selected as a Chancellor Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship Fellow.
Now in their second year, the prestigious EDGES fellowships support and honor mid-career faculty of The Texas A&M University System who make significant marks in their discipline. Furthermore, these faculty members must have garnered national and international acclaim and may be on track for membership in national academies.
“Dr. Shan is an exceptional scientist,” said Patrick Stover, Ph.D., vice chancellor for Texas A&M AgriLife, dean of the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. “She has made impressive contributions to the understanding of crop resilience. She is also an inspiring mentor and a true leader to vibrant, multidisciplinary research teams at AgriLife.”
From fundamental biology to agriculture
Shan is a highly regarded expert with preeminent research contributions and active in service to her field. In 2017-2020, she served as director of the Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, leading faculty and staff in fundamental and translational research in the life sciences, agriculture, forestry, agricultural engineering and veterinary medicine.
Shan’s own research focuses on plant-microbe interactions, and she has contributed to a wide range of disciplines from fundamental biology to agriculture. Shan’s active research team includes undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working in a highly interactive learning environment that fosters critical thinking and independent problem solving.
The work has generated broad impacts by clarifying how a healthy individual plant or animal detects pathogens, initiates immunity to fend off infections and turns off immunity when the pathogen threats are gone. This aids strategic development on mitigation of diseases in both agriculture and human health.
“I am thrilled and honored to be chosen as an EDGES Fellow,” Shan said. “I feel truly privileged to pursue multidisciplinary research through collaboration with my colleagues.”
Shan’s other awards and honors include the Charles Albert Shull Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists and the Texas A&M University Christine Richardson Professorship in Agriculture.
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