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Joseph Ecker. Ph.D. is a Professor in the Plant Biology Laboratory and the Director of the Genomic Analysis Laboratory at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Ca. He earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and carried out postdoctoral studies with Ronald Davis at the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford University. Professor Ecker served on the Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania (1987-2000) before joining The Salk Institute for Biological Studies (2000). His research on the gaseous plant hormone ethylene has yielded basic insights into the mechanisms of plant growth control and its application has resulted in technologies that delay fruit ripening and disease processes. His laboratory participated in mapping and sequencing the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana and he continues to explore the encyclopedia of DNA elements in Arabidopsis through the development and application of technologies for genome-wide and systems biology analysis of plant gene function. Professor Ecker has been the recipient of multiple honors, including: the Kumho Science International Award in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (2001), the International Plant Growth Substances Association Distinguished Research Award (2004), the American Society for Plant Molecular Biology Martin Gibbs Medal (2005), and was chosen as the Scientific American 50: Research Leader of the Year in Agriculture in 2004. He was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2006, and in 2007 he received the John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science from the US National Academy of Sciences. Professor Ecker is an editor of PLoS Genetics and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. He currently serves as President of the International Society for Plant Molecular Biology. | 