Gloria Coruzzi has received the Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Award for “her pioneering work in plant systems biology."
Gloria Coruzzi, chair of New York University’s Department of Biology and member of the Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, has received the Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Award for “her pioneering work in plant systems biology,” the organization said in announcing her selection.
Coruzzi, the Carroll and Milton Petrie Professor of Biology at NYU, has developed systems biology approaches to analyze genomic data from Arabidopsis, a model plant. This process has identified gene networks regulating nitrogen use, in particular the structural and regulatory genes controlling the assimilation of soil nitrogen into amino acids that are used in the biosynthesis of all nitrogen-containing compounds in plants including DNA, protein, and chlorophyll.
Coruzzi’s discoveries and inventions have been applied to commercial crops to make them more efficient in utilizing nitrogen from the soil. These methods allow crop plants—including trees and corn—to grow faster and with increased yield, thereby lowering fertilizer costs for farmers and decreasing environmental pollution.
Established in 2007, the Fellow of ASPB award may be granted in recognition of distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology and service to the Society by current members in areas that include research, education, mentoring, outreach, and professional and public service. Coruzzi, a founding member of NYU’s Center for Genomics & Systems Biology, was one of 10 honored by ASPB this year.
Coruzzi has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Fordham University (1976) and a doctorate in cell and molecular biology from NYU School of Medicine (1979). Coruzzi was previously an associate professor at Rockefeller University. Coruzzi was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2005.