Three scientists recognized for their extraordinary & positive impacts on the Arabidopsis Community
The North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC) is deeply committed to the development, participation and recognition of Arabidopsis researchers from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences and to honoring those that go above and beyond to positively impact the Arabidopsis Community.
The Arabidopsis Community Impact awards recognize community members that have demonstrated commitment to supporting the Arabidopsis community and making positive impacts on it through one or more approaches including outreach, service, communication, mentoring, and/or advocacy.
The individuals serve as role models for our community.
These awards are given in two categories: early career (graduate student or postdoctoral scholar) and later career (faculty and other non-trainee position). Nominations were submitted by community members that then organized review packages consisting of applicant CV, candidate statement of their suitability for the award, and several letters of support written by colleagues. A selection committee comprised of NAASC members and several community members review and select awardees. NAASC thanks all the community members that submitted nominations, gathered supporting letters, and helped review and select this year’s awardees!
This year’s recipients will participate in an online panel webinar in fall/early winter. Sign up to receive an invitation to the online panel and a link to the recording afterwards.
Based on nomination & support letters written by colleagues, the following inspirational Arabidopsis Community leaders were selected for this prestigious honor in 2025:
Early Career Category: Dr. Jade Bleau, University of Dundee, Scotland
Quotes about Jade from her supporters:
Jade’s dedication to the scientific community and her commitment to promoting diversity in science are exemplified by her involvement in Black in Plant Science, a network established to address the underrepresentation of UK-based Black scientists in STEM, of which Jade is a co-founder.
Jade is part of the team behind the Black Botanist week, an initiative that promotes the global visibility of Plant researchers of Black background and the engagement of outsiders and the next generation with this community.
Dr. Bleau’s dedication to outreach is evident through her work on the Gatsby Plant Science Summer School, where she has served as a tutor and panelist, guiding and inspiring undergraduate students to pursue plant science research careers.
Dr. Bleau models excellence, leadership, and an inclusive vision for the future of plant science research. Her work directly benefits and impacts the Arabidopsis community by fostering the next generation of scientists and ensuring the community grows stronger through broader participation and representation.
Dr. Bleau is currently a postdoctoral scholar where she investigates how aphid effector proteins, secreted with saliva into plants to promote susceptibility, modify host proteins and their broader interaction networks. She utilizes the Arabidopsis-Myzus persicae (green peach aphid) interaction as a model system to explore how insect pests alter their hosts to facilitate infestation. Her supporters note that she possesses excellent communication skills and has successfully supervised both undergraduate and graduate students. “Her mentorship has involved guiding students through experimental work as well as supporting them in overcoming personal challenges. Jade is a caring and dedicated mentor and supervisor and has taken opportunities to further develop her own skills.” Jade is active in supporting the community and the public in numerous ways: “As a founding member of Black Botanists Week, Jade has single-handedly expanded the reach of our organization into Europe, establishing a truly global focus that has connected plant scientists across continents.” She was instrumental as the first coordinator of the relatively new network “Black in Plant Science-UK” where was a conference co-organizer, mentor and co-author of publications, established the online platforms, managed information within the website and edited and published all profile contributions. She communicated effectively with the whole community, attracting over 500 followers to the platforms. Jade also actively engages in outreach and communication activities including with the annual Division of Plant Sciences flagship event "Plant Power," held at the Dundee Botanic Gardens, where she shares the significance of her research on plant-pest interactions. Furthermore, she served as a tutor at the 2024 Gatsby Plant Science Summer School that shares plant science to UK undergraduate students.
Later Career Category:
Dr. José Dinneny, Stanford University, USA
Quotes about José from his supporters:
José works to improve any community he is a part of, and we continue to benefit from having such a smart, creative, energetic and principled person in our midst. In times like these we must be even more grateful for José’s effective and tireless advocacy.
He is a vocal supporter and champion of many folks in the Arabidopsis community and often serves as a "silent mentor" (whether he knows this or not!)
José is a role model for how we can all make our local and international research communities a welcoming environment to thrive.
José is truly a leader in his community and has been an especially strong champion for building an inclusive society of biologists, and for including biologists in the important discussions of society.
José is a remarkable scientist with remarkable dedication and effectiveness in promoting an inclusive and dynamic plant biology community.
He helps ensure there will be a next generation of plant biology—both by his actions to support early career scientists and by his advocacy for plant science when interacting with people and institutions with decision-making power.
Dr. Dinneny is truly a leader in his community. In his research, José uses cutting edge genetic, genomic and synthetic biology approaches to address issues in plant physiology that have significant impact on fundamental discover as well as real world issues such as drought, heat tolerance and crop production. His excellence in research and mentoring has recently been recognized by his appointment as an HHMI Investigator in the first cohort chosen “not only because of their outstanding research endeavors but also because they mentor and empower the next generation of scientists to work alongside them at the cutting edge.” José has also been a long-time champion of open communication and support for underserved groups in the Arabidopsis community. He has extensively participated in panels, workshops, and publications that are geared towards identifying inequities and providing strategies to mitigate DEI-related issues. During the challenging Covid-19 pandemic period, José served as the director of graduate studies for the Stanford Biology Department where, his supporter notes, “he built and amazing amount of trust with the entire grad student community and developed a course, “Managing your PhD” to build skills in professionalism, scholarship, well-being, community engagement and career development.” José is a science advocate, communicating with the public and elected officials about agricultural and biotechnology issues and is active in diversity initiatives in the SF Bay area, in California and nationwide. He was one of the prime architects of a petition to discuss the safety of genetically modified crops, which after garnering thousands of signatures in support, was published in Science. More recently, José and colleagues published a thoughtful and impactful piece on inclusive science in Plant Direct entitled “Broadening the Impact of Plant Science through Innovative, Integrative, and Inclusive Outreach.”
Later Career Category:
Dr. Joanna Friesner, NAASC, USA
Quotes about Joanna from her supporters:
I would argue that no one in the country, and possibly the entire world, has done as much service as Joanna in support of the Arabidopsis community.
Joanna’s work has become a model for inclusive conference planning, from session co-creation to speaker selection grounded in global & demographic representation. She has built a system that is sustainable, evidence-based, and now widely emulated.
Her visionary efforts have not only shaped ICAR but have also set a new benchmark for inclusivity in scientific conferences, inspiring a more equitable future for the plant biology community.
Her co-founding of the Inclusivity Scholars Program (ISP) and the ISP Cohort Model reflects both her commitment and her methodical approach to building community impact. . . Through it, Dr. Friesner has cultivated a deeply supportive and affirming environment that helps scholars not only participate in the Arabidopsis community but fully see themselves as belonging within it.
Her work has secured over two decades of sustained support for Arabidopsis community-based initiatives, directly funding participation by early career scientists, international attendees, and those facing financial and structural barriers.
A hallmark of Dr. Friesner’s impact is her ability to implement structural improvements that enhance diversity and representation in Arabidopsis research and more broadly in plant science
Dr. Friesner has been the face of NAASC (the North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee) and of the North American International Conferences on Arabidopsis Research (ICARs) for the past two decades. After completing her PhD in Genetics at UC Davis, where she studied DNA double-strand break repair in Arabidopsis thaliana, she was hired by Philip Benfey (2005, NAASC President at that time) as the Coordinator for NAASC and the Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee (MASC). After 4 years coordinating both groups, she focused on NAASC where she has been the lead organizer of 8 ICARs primarily in North America (USA & Canada) and also China and a virtual meeting during the Covid-19 pandemic. In her role she has written countless federal grants (to NSF, USDA, and DOE) in support of ICAR and other community engagement activities, administratively-supported and mentored more than 600 early career scholars and members of under-represented groups in US STEM (through the Inclusivity Scholars Program she cofounded and other community engagement programs), has written and edited multiple annual MASC reports, and co-authored at least a dozen articles on behalf of the Arabidopsis community, such as “Broadening the Impact of Plant Science through Innovative, Integrative, and Inclusive Outreach” and two recent publications in The Plant Cell: A Timeline of Discover and Innovation in Arabidopsis (1873-2024) and Commentary: In Defense of Funding Foundational Plant Science.
As the only paid (part-time) member of NAASC, a supporter notes that “Joanna has incredible organizational skills”… with a system to support the busy and overworked NAASC members that is “very efficient and great for full transparency and accountability.” Also notable is “Joanna’s talent as a science writer (thorough, eloquent, and efficient) as she is entrusted with developing a majority of key NAASC documents, from conference bylaws, to newsletters, to grants, to project reports, to the Arabidopsis community website. She would do most of the heavy lifting when the deadlines were tight, fully realizing that faculty are overcommitted on multiple fronts and may not be able to prioritize writing a quality conference proposal under a compressed timeline.” Another supporter wrote “Joanna has been instrumental in making ICAR an inclusive and welcoming space by ensuring diverse representation at every level. Joanna spearheaded initiatives like Bystander training for ICAR2024 session chairs and developed a robust Code of Conduct for ICAR, setting a standard for respect and inclusivity. Joanna has led efforts to diversify speakers by instituting a “no repeat speakers” rule, now widely adopted by ICAR and ASPB. Joanna championed community-driven minisymposia to include underrepresented voices and early career scholars. Her structural changes at ICAR enable trainees to present their work, providing critical visibility for early-career researchers.” Another supporter noted the further impact of the Inclusivity Scholars Program she co-founded that led to a successful NSF RCN proposal (Joanna was the co-PI), a multi-year project that included iterative improvements in the ISP cohort program that has, to date, supported 83 scientists across multiple cohorts and ICARs. For these cohorts, Joanna manages a 6 day conference social program including informal meals & get-togethers, supports their travel coordination and holds several pre and post meeting Zoom calls with them as a group, and individually, to help them network, to answer all their questions, and to ensure they feel a sense of belonging during the conference (which for many, is their first science conference and/or first trip outside the US). A supporter noted that “Joanna is a people person: amiable, easy-going, kind, considerate, and empathetic. She is also reliable, hard-working, and humble.”
