Dr. Larkins investigated mutations that affect the development of the maize seed and influence its nutritional quality.
TUCSON, AZ, August 14, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Dr. Brian A. Larkins with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Larkins celebrates many years' experience in his professional network and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has 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.
Dr. Larkins received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in botany from the University of Nebraska in 1975. His dissertation research led to the development of a technique for isolating intact messenger RNAs (mRNAs) from plant and animal cells. During his postdoctoral research at Purdue University, he used this procedure to isolate and characterize mRNAs encoding zeins, the major seed storage protein in maize. This allowed him and others to isolate and characterize zein genes, which contributed to launching the field of plant molecular genetic research and its application to agricultural crop improvement. Over the course of his career, Dr. Larkins investigated mutations that affect the development of the maize seed and influence its nutritional quality. This included the characterization of genes affecting plant cell division, including the maize versions of the human tumor suppressor gene, retinoblastoma.
Dr. Larkins served his profession in a variety of leadership roles. He was the head of the plant sciences department at the University of Arizona from 1988 to 1994, while concurrently serving as an associate editor and then the editor-in-chief of The Plant Cell from 1989 to 1998. He was the president of the International Society of Plant Molecular Biology in 1991 and the president of the American Society of Plant Physiologists in 1999. After his retirement from the University of Arizona, he served as the associate vice chancellor for life sciences at the University of Nebraska from 2012 to 2017, where he contributed to the development of an interdisciplinary PhD in computational biology. His leadership roles and research publications resulted in many recognitions, including his election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 1996. He received multiple research awards from the American Society of Plant Biologists, including the Charles A. Shull Award for research innovation by a scientist under 40, the Stephen Hales Prize for career-long contributions to plant science, and the Charles Reid Barnes Life Membership Award.
Dr. Larkins attributes his professional success to the teaching and mentoring of Dr. John F. Davidson, who taught introductory botany, and Dr. Eric Davies, his PhD advisor, at the University of Nebraska. They taught with the inductive method, which fosters discovery and independent thinking. Over the course of his career, Dr. Larkins trained 65 graduate and postdoctoral students from 11 different countries (https://academictree.org/plantbio/tree.php?pid=632939). His philosophy and advice to them were to not be the smartest person in the laboratory, not be intimidated by what they do not know, and never miss an opportunity at public speaking.
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