R. Scott Poethig

Scott Poethig is widely recognized for his research on the genetics of plant maturation. Investigating variations in the rate of vegetative phase change—the morphological transition from juvenile to adult plants—in model systems, Poethig has shown that micro-RNAs control maturation in plants. He is now expanding his research to a non-model plant family in pursuit of still greater understandings of naturally occurring plant evolution. Poethig has received numerous honors for both his research, as evidenced by his election to the National Academy of Sciences, and his innovative and engaging work in the classroom, for which he received a Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching from Penn.