Academician Tuan-Hua David Ho has been elected the next president of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB). His three-year term will start this October serving as President-Elect, President, and Past-President for one year each.
ASPB was founded in 1924 to promote the growth and development of plant biology and in recent years has expanded to incorporate molecular and cellular biology. This society is the largest and most prestigious plant biology professional organization in the world and has more than 5000 members. It publishes two major journals, Plant Cell and Plant Physiology that are ranked highest and third highest in impact among more than 130 plant biology journals for original research articles. Annual meetings of ASPB usually attract thousands of participants around the world. Academician Ho will be the first Asian elected President of the society. He is expected to lead ASPB in an era of international collaborations in dealing with important issues related to food, energy and environment.
Academician Ho is a Distinguished Research Fellow and Director of Academia Sinica’s Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology. He is also a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an elected member of the Academy of Developing World (TWAS), and an ISI Most Cited Researcher in Plant & Animal Science. His research interests include: 1) molecular mechanisms regulating the developmental transition from embryo to seed germination, 2) roles of stress-induced proteins in mediating stress tolerance in plants, and manipulations of stress proteins/genes in enhancing plant tolerance to stresses, and 3) discovery and improvement of enzymes/microbes for biofuel production. Academician Ho was also responsible for the establishment of Academia Sinica Biotechnology Research Center in Southern Taiwan. In addition, he is the current Director General of National Science and Technology Program for Agricultural Biotechnology overseeing a major effort in promoting research in this area in Taiwan.
