Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

(St. Louis Magazine) Danforth Center sees big future in regenerative agriculture that actually returns profits - Danforth Plant Science Center At BioSTL’s Global AgriFood Innovation Summit, Danforth Center President Giles Oldroyd, PhD, spoke about how we can grow our food in a way that’s better for our planet, and for farmers.

Regenerative ag took center stage at @biostl.bsky.social's Global AgriFood Innovation Summit. @gilesoldroyd.bsky.social sees great opportunity to use advances in crop genetics, AI, & new tech to boost productivity & profitability within regen farming systems.

Read more in @stlmag.bsky.social:

President Giles Oldroyd welcomed attendees of the @biostl.bsky.social Global AgriFood Innovation Summit and shared thoughts about the opportunities to use research & development to make regenerative agriculture profitable.
#regenag #sustainability #agtech #foodsecurity

We were proud to host #agtech innovators and leaders from across the globe who are here for the @biostl.bsky.social Global AgriFood innovation Summit. 🎥 Tune in to see what makes St. Louis a powerful hub for global collaboration and innovation in agtech: fox2now.com/news/missour...

The vitality of the #STL #agtech innovation community is on display this week as we welcome a delegation of 20 global leaders for the ARISE (AgriTech for Resilience, Innovation & Sustainable Ecosystems) initiative.

Learn more: https://www.stlmag.com/business/arise-agtech-delegation-visits-st-louis/

(St. Louis Business Journal) Spearhead Bio Named "Startup to Watch" - Danforth Plant Science Center Spearhead Bio, is one of eleven companies included on St. Louis Business Journal’s “Startups to Watch 2026” list.

🔥 Spearhead Bio is a startup to watch! Their breakthrough genome editing technology, developed through Danforth Center research, supports the development of resilient crops & more secure harvests.

https://www.danforthcenter.org/news/st-louis-business-journal-spearhead-bio-named-startup-to-watch/

This #BlackHistoryMonth, the Danforth Center is celebrating Black scientists and innovators whose work moves plant science—and opportunity—forward. Learn more about our scientists: https://www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/principal-investigators/

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is seeking an Information Technology Security Manager to join our team! Apply here: https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/portal/0386834D209CD1EA462A147F53A126FF/jobs/333718

Danforth Center Principal Investigator Honored for Her Contributions to the Advancement of Science - Danforth Plant Science Center Danforth Center Principal Investigator Katie Murphy, PhD, receives the Science Educator Award from the Academy of Science – St. Louis for excellence in science education.

🎉 Congratulations to @kmurphyphd.bsky.social, Principal Investigator and Director of the Phenotyping Core Facility at the Danforth Center—she has been selected to receive the Science Educator Award from the Academy of Science – St. Louis!

Read more: www.danforthcenter.org/news/danfort...

St. Louis Magazine Reporter & 314 Podcast Host Sarah Fenske stands alongside Danforth Center President Giles Oldroyd, PhD. A quote attributed to Oldroyd is overlaid on the image. It reads: "I'm really optimistic. I think that for plant science, our time is now. The opportunities are right now. There is a transformation coming in the way the we approach food production, and I believe the Danforth Center can be the world leader in that place, and St. Louis can be the destination."

Our President, @gilesoldroyd.bsky.social is stepping up to the mic with @sarahfenske.bsky.social, where he shares what drew him to move to #STL and join the Danforth Center—and why he believes this region is uniquely positioned to make a global impact.

🎧 Tune in: www.stlmag.com/podcasts/314...

Getu Beyene Duguma | Principal Investigator | Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Getu Beyene Duguma, PhD, is a Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Learn more about Getu's research.

Meet Getu Beyene Duguma, PhD, Member and Principal Investigator at the Danforth Center. Getu’s research is making a positive impact on some of the same food security crops he grew up farming in Ethiopia.

https://www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/principal-investigators/getu-beyene-duguma/

Danforth Plant Science Center Elects World Food Prize Laureate to the Board of Directors - Danforth Plant Science Center The Danforth Plant Science Center elects Cary Fowler, PhD, 2024 World Food Prize laureate and global food security leader, to its Board of Directors.

We are honored to welcome Dr. Cary Fowler as the Danforth Center’s newest Board Director. Dr. Fowler is President of the Food Security Leadership Council and the 2024 World Food Prize Laureate. His expertise and leadership make him an invaluable addition to our board.

https://loom.ly/7bd4GiY

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Danforth Center honors service to others—and recommits to science in service of all people.

Nigel Taylor, PhD, helped lay the groundwork for modern research on cassava and works with partners in Rwanda and Kenya to develop more resilient and nutritious cassava. Meet Nigel and learn more about his work: https://www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/principal-investigators/nigel-taylor/

Gratuitous X-ray microscopy imaging, a "bouquet" of developing soybean flowers.
@zeiss-microscopy.bsky.social
@danforthcenter.bsky.social

International Collaboration Aims to Improve Key Crops for Rwandan Farmers - Danforth Plant Science Center The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is part of a newinternational initiative to establish a Centre of Excellence for Crop Biotechnology at the RwandaAgriculture and Animal Resources Development B...

In an international effort funded by the Gates Foundation, Nigel Taylor, PhD, & the Danforth Center are partnering on the new Rwanda Capacity Building (BioCap) Project, led by @cipotato.org, to establish a Rwandan Centre of Excellence for Crop Biotechnology & advance food security. loom.ly/4KW17iM

Danforth Center pioneers crops that show how they’re doing—by turning purple Researchers at the Danforth Plant Science Center are pioneering tools that allow grain crops such as corn, wheat, and barley to act as living biosensors, turning purple in the presence of certain chem...

Read more about Dmitri Nusinow's work in the St. Louis Magazine article: www.stlmag.com/business/dan...

Principal Investigator Dmitri A. Nusinow, PhD, and his lab study the circadian clock, aiming to learn more about how light and temperature shape plant growth and development. Learn more about his work on our website: loom.ly/ifAg5cI

Big shoutout to Nadia Shakoor @nadiashakoor.bsky.social — featured in St. Louis Magazine’s Movers & Shapers! 👏

From plant genetics to leading Agrela Ecosystems & building real-time crop sensing tech — Nadia is advancing sustainable agtech and food security. 🌱 lnkd.in/g_5UHk2W
#StLouis #Innovation

Researchers Develop New Tools to Turn Grain Crops into Biosensors - Danforth Plant Science Center A collaborative team of researchers from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the University of Florida, Gainesville and University of Iowa have developed groundbreaking tools that allow grasses—...

Plants that turn purple to warn us about unwanted chemicals: Danforth Center scientists @meter76.bsky.social & @maliagehan.bsky.social led a team that enabled grasses—including corn—to act as living biosensors that change color when they detect specific chemicals. Learn more: loom.ly/D1B_eYY

To all who donated to the Danforth Center in 2025, thank you. 💚 We deeply appreciate your decision to show your support, invest in the work we do, and be part of our mission. Thank you again, and happy New Year! #Gratitude #STLNonprofit

Here’s to discovery, community, and impact—Happy New Year from the Danforth Center! 🌱

We don’t know what 2026 will bring, but we all can do our part to make it better. 🌍 Help ensure our mission, science, and impact will continue well into the future by donating to the Danforth Center. Make your gift before midnight: https://loom.ly/SxLiJLs
#SupportScience

Meet our CSTM Member of the Month! @allyangermeier.bsky.social is a microscopy expert who focuses on vitrifying cyanobacteria to optimize cryo-EM workflows and uses hybridization chain reaction to study the spatiotemporal localization of phasiRNAs in plants.

At the Danforth Center, it's been a year of both incredible progress and new challenges. Regardless, we’re committed to our mission. But we’re counting on our community to help keep the work going. 🌱 Support our science today: https://loom.ly/hv_62_M
#Nonprofit #SupportScience

Flexible annual support through our Impact Fund helps our scientists test bold ideas, develop breakthrough technologies, and launch startups like Spearhead Bio.

Turn good ideas into great solutions for people and planet.

🔗 Make your gift: https://loom.ly/hv_62_M

We’ve pioneered a sturdier version of teff—a breakthrough that could increase food security for millions of people in Ethiopia. 🌾 Support our science today, and help ensure more people can grow the food they need: https://loom.ly/hv_62_M
#FoodSecurity #GlobalImpact

Molly Hanlon | Senior Research Scientist | Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Molly Hanlon, PhD, is a Senior Research Scientist at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Learn more about Molly's research.

Meet @mthanlon.bsky.social! Her research is focused on roots—how they build & benefit soil, when they are best able to support the plants that they’re the foundation for, and what helps the roots themselves to thrive. Get to know her here:https://loom.ly/vTLWF3I

Cassava is a lifeline for millions in E. Africa—but virus diseases are cutting farmers’ yields.

At Danforth Center, Dr. Nigel Taylor’s team is enhancing cassava to resist these viruses, helping families like Lilian’s secure food + income.

▶️ More: https://loom.ly/wzIZKzs

Crop research seeks higher yield numbers, new markets Researchers are at work developing improved corn and soybeans, aiming for higher yields while also addressing disease and weed challenges the crops face.

Dr. Doug Allen’s team and other labs at the Danforth Center are working to raise crop yields and cut input costs. Their research aims to boost protein and oil in soybeans and help corn grow with less nitrogen—a win for growers, consumers, and the planet.
https://loom.ly/n8CXydo

In 2019, three Danforth Center scientists pitched an idea to make crop improvement better. This year, that idea fully came to life in the form of a new spinout: Spearhead Bio. 🧬Our supporters made this possible. Make a gift today: https://loom.ly/hv_62_M
#AgInnovation #AgTech