LINO LAKES, MN, September 24, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Ronald L. Phillips with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Phillips celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for research and teaching achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes s accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
During his freshman year of high school in the 1950s, Dr. Phillips' parents notably worked in sales for DeKalb, a seed company. His father took him to the research center and showed him various kinds of materials. At the research center, he saw the workers developing new types of corn using new technologies, which would have widespread effects around the world. Having seen such wonders of bioengineering in agriculture, Mr. Phillips was inspired to pursue a career in plant genetics and breeding.
Dr. Phillips attended Purdue University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in crop science, as well as a Master of Science in plant breeding and genetics. Moreover, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in genetics from the University of Minnesota and pursued postgraduate studies at Cornell University. Dr. Phillips was presented with an honorary doctorate from Purdue University.
Dr. Phillips began his career as a research and teaching assistant at Purdue University, and later worked at the University of Minnesota as a research associate, assistant professor, and advanced to become a full professor of genetics and plant breeding at the university, and found additional success as the first McKnight Presidential Chair in Genomics. He retired from the University of Minnesota, from which he earned the distinguished title of Regents Professor. Dr. Phillips also briefly served on the genetics advisory panel of the University of Florida and continues to excel as a board director of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA).
In addition to his primary appointments in the field, Dr. Phillips also served as the director of the Center for Microbial and Plant Genomics at the University of Minnesota. He was professionally active with the National Plant Genetic Resources Board, the Biological Stain Commission, the Plant Molecular Genetics Institute, the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Chief Scientist the International Rice Research Institute Board of Trustees, and the advisory board of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Dr. Phillips has also served as a visiting professor in Morocco, Japan, China, Canada and Italy.
As a respected voice in his field, Dr. Phillips has contributed numerous articles to pertinent scholarly journals. Likewise, he has co-edited several books and texts including "Cytogenetics," "Molecular Genetic Modification of Eucaryotes," "Molecular Biology of Plants," "The Plant Seed: Development, Preservation and Germination," "Genetic Improvement of Crops: Emergent Techniques," and "DNA-Based Markers in Plants." He served as an associate editor of the journal Genetics, as well as the Canada Journal of Genetics and Cytology and Genome, and an editorial board member of Maydica, the Journal of the Oil Palm and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. His chapters can be found in such texts as "Maize Breeding and Genetics," "Staining Procedures," "Chromosome Structure and Function," "Corn and Corn Improvement," "Chromosome Engineering in Plants" and the "Maize Handbook." Dr. Phillips has given invited lectures in 30 different countries.
Throughout his accomplished career, Dr. Phillips has been proud of his work in training 55 graduate students, who received their master's and/or doctorate degrees, as well as 23 postdoctoral scientists, and several visiting scientists. Currently, he is working on Project AgGrad, a program involving the United Methodist Church in Minnesota and the University of Minnesota. International students from developing countries are invited to study at the graduate level at the University of Minnesota, who subsequently take their knowledge back to their homes to teach others.
For his professional accomplishments, Dr. Phillips has been the recipient of a number of accolades from various organizations. In addition to receiving the Purdue Distinguished Agricultural Alumni Award, he was also bestowed with the Northrup King Outstanding Faculty Performance Award, the DeKalb Genetics Crop Science Distinguished Career Award, the Italian ASI medal, the Siehl Prize and the distinguished Wolf Prize from Israel. To remain aware of developments in the field, Dr. Phillips maintains his professional affiliation as Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Crop Science Society of America, and the American Society Agronomy. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1991. In addition, he served on the Board of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents and on the faculty of the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute.
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