Published on May 6, 2022

Updated on April 13, 2023

Campus community,

This week, a member of our faculty earned membership to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, which is among the highest honors bestowed on scientists. This is a major career accomplishment for MU Professor Blake Meyers, and a reason for our university to celebrate the distinction our faculty members bring to the University of Missouri as a leading national research university.

Professor Meyers joins 11 other MU faculty who have received this high honor. His work focuses on plant science and technology, and he is one of the most highly cited scientists in his field. He has contributed more than 260 published research articles that have been cited nearly 30,000 times. His research has improved crops and developed new technologies to breed hybrid crops.

Professor Meyers is one of the first joint hires between the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the Danforth Plant Science Center and is an example of the high level, collaborative work happening through the partnership.

As a university, we strive for more productive collaborations and connections such as this to enhance MU’s role as a top research institution. Leaders within our Division of Research, Innovation and Impact and the Office of the Provost have launched new teams dedicated to supporting and helping faculty reach their research and scholarly goals, obtain more grant funding and earn more highly prestigious awards, such as this honor bestowed on Professor Meyers.

Please join us in our hearty congratulations to Professor Meyers. We are grateful for his work and its benefit to the university, our state and the world.

We also would like to provide further congratulations to those honored throughout the recent Faculty Excellence Week, including the Faculty Recognition Awards, Faculty Authors and the Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence.

As we draw this semester to a close, the tremendous work of our faculty provides much to celebrate.

Sincerely,

Mun Choi, Ph.D.
President, University of Missouri

Latha Ramchand, Ph.D.
Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs,
University of Missouri