Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
May 19, 2016
- Dr. Chilton recognized for her groundbreaking work in biotechnology
- Award is the highest honor conferred by the university’s alumni association
Mary-Dell Chilton, Ph.D., a distinguished science fellow at Syngenta, is the 2016 recipient of the University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award. The award, which is the highest honor bestowed by the university’s alumni association, honors Chilton for her outstanding success in her life’s work as a groundbreaking researcher in plant biotechnology.
Chilton is one of the principal founders of modern plant biotechnology. While a faculty member at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Chilton led a collaborative research study that produced the first genetically engineered plants.
At Syngenta, she earned a reputation as a legendary mentor of young laboratory scientists and worked with many others to successfully transform corn, cotton and other crops. She is recognized for her pioneering research and its continued impact on agriculture.
“The University of Illinois was the place I first became interested in plant genetics, which laid the foundation for my career,” Chilton said. “The university professors and colleagues I made here pushed me to work harder and pursue excellence in what was an emerging field at the time, and I am forever grateful for their guidance. I am incredibly honored to receive this award.”
Chilton received her undergraduate degree from the university in 1960 and doctorate in 1967, both in chemistry. The association will honor her during Commencement weekend activities on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus.
“On behalf of nearly 700,000 University of Illinois alumni, we are proud to celebrate the accomplishments of incredible individuals who inspire all of us and enhance the proud legacy of the University of Illinois,” said Association President and CEO Loren R. Taylor.
The honor adds to a number of recent accolades for Chilton, who continues to research plant genetics and biotechnology from the Syngenta lab in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. In 2015, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Hall of Heroes. In 2013, she was named a World Food Prize laureate, the foremost international award recognizing individuals who positively impact the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.
The Alumni Achievement Award will be presented at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center during Commencement Weekend, on the evening of Friday, May 13, 2016. Awardees will also be honored as part of the Platform Party during the campus wide Commencement ceremony 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, at the university’s campus in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.
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