EAST LANSING, Mich. — In recognition of his ability to recognize and review original research, as well as his own scientific contributions, Christoph Benning, Michigan State University professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, has been named the next editor-in-chief of The Plant Journal, an international journal devoted to publishing original research papers on fundamental plant biology problems.
"The Plant Journal is one of the top three peer-reviewed journals in the plant sciences,” Benning said. “I've served on the journal's editorial board for almost seven years and recently co-edited a special issue of The Plant Journal on using plant biomass for biofuels and biomaterials, which gave me additional insights into the inner workings of publishing."
Benning's research focuses on lipid metabolism in plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria. He is using his basic research discoveries to develop new biofuel crops.
A prolific researcher, author, presenter and mentor, Benning also holds a number of patents and invention disclosures. He also serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Biological Chemistry and is former monitoring editor of Plant Physiology. He also serves on National Science Foundation review panels.
Benning came to MSU as an assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in 1998 and was named professor in 2005. He received his doctorate in genetics from MSU in 1991 and his master's diploma in biology in 1986 from Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg, Germany.
He will begin serving as co-editor with Harry Klee, current editor-in-chief of The Plant Journal, in 2009 and will become sole editor-in-chief in 2010.
For more information on The Plant Journal, go to www.theplantjournal.com.
To access the special issue of The Plant Journal Benning co-edited, go to http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120090038/issue.
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