Three world-renowned scientists receive Philip N. Benfey Arabidopsis Community Lifetime Achievement awards
Arabidopsis thaliana, a small, pervasive, yet seemingly nondescript weed that scientists adopted as their premier "lab rat", is the best-studied plant species on earth. Thousands of researchers across the world rely on Arabidopsis to study how plants grow and develop, photosynthesize, produce valuable nutrients, or withstand stress and pathogens. This foundational knowledge is essential for the development of new and improved crop varieties, innovations in forestry, plant conservation, and more. In 2023, the North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC) established the Arabidopsis Community Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize Arabidopsis researchers whose careers made a major impact on plant sciences and scientists alike. The criteria for this honor include: distinguished research on Arabidopsis throughout a career spanning multiple decades; positive mentoring and impacts on their trainees and the success of their trainees in their own careers, and community service, outreach, public engagement, and/or innovative teaching.
NAASC named the inaugural award after Philip N. Benfey, a world-renowned Arabidopsis scientist and former NAASC member who unexpectedly passed away in 2023. Philip’s career exemplifies all aspects that the Lifetime Achievement award honors.
Nominations were submitted by community members that then organized review packages consisting of applicant CV and several letters of support written by colleagues and former mentees. 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, including former mentees, the following inspirational Arabidopsis Community leaders were selected for this prestigious honor in 2025:
Dr. Mark Estelle, University of California, San Diego, USA
Dr. Estelle is most famous for his foundational work in the auxin field including his high-impact collaborative work with Ning Zheng that solved the structure of TIR1 in complex with auxin and an Aux/IAA peptide. Dr. Estelle has been a community leader and a team player- he has organized many meetings and led many plant biology societies; in fact, he is one of only 2 people in NAASC’s 30+ year history to be nominated, elected, AND agree to serve twice (first in 1994 and then in 2008). He has also helped mentor many early career scientists, bringing a voice of calm and collegiality (he is Canadian!) as well as excitement, to plant hormone research. He has been a role model for many current leaders, as one wrote: “Mark’s work and vision has paved the way for an entire generation of active scientists and without doubt for the next to come.”
To learn more about Mark, read his ASPB Pioneer award biography to get a sense of his extensive contributions and trademark humble nature. He concludes: As an ASPB “Pioneer’ I think I am expected to provide wise council to young scientists. Because my career has been guided by good luck rather than planning, I am hesitant to offer much in the way of advice. However here are a few, somewhat idiosyncratic thoughts. Be sure to pick an important, challenging, but not intractable problem to study. Be aware of competition but don’t let it distort your work. It is better to be open and collaborative than secretive and distrustful. It’s more fun and will benefit you in the long run. Don’t worry too much about networking if it makes you uncomfortable. If you do good science and publish it, people will notice. When you make an exciting discovery, be sure to celebrate right away, because it will be old news in a month. Finally, be sure to remind yourself why you love science as often as possible. Your motivation will be specific to you. For me, the discovery of something previously unknown to human-kind provides a rush like no other.
Quotes about Mark from his supporters:
His mentorship style was almost Zen-like, hands-off, very accepting & always encouraging independence. This approach fostered a deep sense of personal & professional growth, enabling us to refine our skills, enhance our competitiveness & uncover the next great scientific discoveries. His philosophy of encouragement over pressure left an indelible mark on all those fortunate enough to work with him.
He is well known as a remarkable scientist who fosters collaboration and innovative thinking, with a humble and down-to-earth personality. He has also worked tirelessly for the community in a range of roles. In short, science needs more people like Mark.
What is most phenomenal about Mark's work is his preference for quality over quantity. He has always emphasized that "getting the science right is the main focus," a philosophy that has shaped the integrity of Arabidopsis research. Mark encouraged his team to work carefully and deliberately, ensuring that discoveries were built on robust, reproducible data. His legacy is one of scientific rigor, setting a high standard that has kept the field as accurate and reliable as possible.
Even after leaving his lab, I have remained in close contact with Mark, and he continues to provide me with invaluable advice throughout my career. His unwavering encouragement has made a profound difference, offering reassurance and strength during challenging times. His kindness and mentorship mean more than words can express, and I know that many others who have trained under him share similar sentiments. His ability to nurture and inspire the next generation of scientists is one of his greatest contributions to the field.
Dr. Maarten Koornneef, retired, formerly of MPI Cologne & Wageningen Univ, The Netherlands
Dr. Koornneef is a renowned expert in plant genetics and was a pioneer in the isolation of many of the early Arabidopsis mutants. A supporter wrote “very few people that work on Arabidopsis have never used a mutant that Dr. Koornneef generated.” He isolated early Arabidopsis hormone mutants that were foundational to future research and applied his genetic knowledge to establish early Arabidopsis genetic linkage maps. His vast knowledge of natural variation meant he could spot mutants easily and genotype by eye, which came in handy during mutagenesis suppressor screens. Following early work in the Netherlands he became a founding member of ‘modern Arabidopsis research’ that coalesced in the mid-to-late 1980s after pivotal discussions at US conferences, leading to the Arabidopsis genome sequencing project. Another supporter wrote “In my opinion, Maarten is one of the most important godfathers of Arabidopsis thaliana, making it the major plant model species by providing the international research community with a rich resource of hormone, photoreceptor and early flowering mutants and the first genetic map.” Maarten frequently collaborated with others, and a supporter noted “One of the great things I learned from Maarten is to share and be generous. To share your material, to share your knowledge, your time, your expertise, your equipment, and team up with others to do research that otherwise could not be done. In his career, Maarten has always shared, and always looked for opportunities to collaborate.”
Quotes about Maarten from his supporters:
The environment that he created is firmly rooted in how I would describe Maarten as a person. He is without doubt the brightest and most innovative person I know, and at the same time the most modest person as well. I have appreciated so much his open science attitude, his willingness to share results in an early stage, all to ensure the progress of science as efficient as possible.
I met Maarten when I was a student studying plant breeding. He already was very inspiring, demonstrating his deep knowledge on many aspects of plant breeding and plant genetics, with many anecdotes. He taught in a very kind way, and always showing his interest to listen to students, at that time something that not many teachers did. Many students favored him as a teacher.
At MPIZ, I was surprised that although the department was relatively large, his laboratory was one of the smallest, yet the science he conducted was enormous. Over time, I understood that his intention was not to grow larger by accepting the position of director but to promote a new generation of researchers in the genetics of natural variation. Looking to the future is something Maarten has always known how to do.
Many talented young people have developed extraordinary scientific careers by applying what they learned from Maarten to their research projects. From my modest opinion, I can only say that Maarten has not only contributed to the excellence of Arabidopsis research but is also an extraordinary mentor to many and an exemplary model to emulate.
Dr. Detlef Weigel, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany
As one supporter noted “Detlef Weigel’s career has profoundly shaped the Arabidopsis research community.” Dr. Weigel pioneered the discovery and use of plant genetic diversity to understand and exploit for the benefit of humanity key principles of many biological processes, from development and immunity to adaptation to climate change. Among many accomplishments and foundational contributions to plant biology, he discovered how mutable and plastic plant genomes are and he demonstrated how genetic diversity translates into phenotypic diversity. During the last two decades, he produced a blueprint for discovering and exploiting genetic variation at scale in any plant species using Arabidopsis as a reference. His group produced the first haplotype map outside of humans, which in turn was key to demonstrating the power of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in plants. Weigel’s group performed the first complete genome resequencing study in any eukaryote, from which the 1001 Genomes Project for Arabidopsis was conceived. This inspired similar projects for a large number of plants, including not only crops, but also many wild keystone species. Equally- if not more important- Detlef Weigel has mentored and trained many (nearly 150 so far) master’s and doctoral students, and postdoctoral scholars. A supporter noted “His dedication to training has enriched the Arabidopsis community with a culture of excellence and collaboration.” These individuals populate university faculty positions, non-profit leadership roles and biotechnology companies around the world. His trainees have had astounding impact and success, and many are now leaders in emerging fields of plant science. Detlef has also been a champion for diversity in science through support of his trainees, leadership roles in the Arabidopsis community, as one of the earliest advocates for open access publication, and as a public figure to communicate broadly in discussions on plant science, publishing, and genetic engineering.
Quotes about Detlef from his supporters:
What distinguishes Prof. Weigel’s work is its breadth, originality, and enduring relevance. He has consistently opened new frontiers, linking molecular biology with ecology and evolution, and establishing frameworks that have shaped how we think about complex traits, adaptation, and development in plants. His work exemplifies biological principles that extend well beyond Arabidopsis.
Detlef is a scientific superstar, but he really cared about people. For Detlef “excellence is also lifting others”, and you can see this with his actions. The remarkable success of his trainees reflects Detlef’s ability to identify and nurture scientific talent while providing an environment that fosters independence and creativity.
Detlef Weigel’s contributions have been transformational across multiple fronts: scientific discovery, resource development, mentorship, and community leadership. His legacy is deeply intertwined with the Arabidopsis research community, and his work has directly benefited thousands of researchers worldwide.
Detlef has also been an active communicator of plant knowledge including in political discourse. He has engaged with the public through debates, radio, and television appearances promote understanding and acceptance of genetic modification and genome editing. His efforts to communicate complex scientific concepts to broad audiences reflect his deep commitment to public engagement and science communication.
