Markita Landry, Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging faculty affiliate and UC Berkeley assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is a recipient of the second annual New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Award for plant efficiency. Landry is interested in discovering routes for nanoparticle transport across plant cell walls and chloroplast membranes for use in GMO-free gene editing.

With this award, Landry will develop a nanoscale understanding of the mechanisms of nanoparticle transport in an effort to allow for deployment of modern genome editing tools in plants. These tools would enable production of genetic variants to improve crop yield and resilience. Provided to outstanding food and agriculture research faculty, this early career grant is a program of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a nonprofit established through bipartisan congressional support in the 2014 Farm Bill. Read the UC Berkeley College of Chemistry press release.