After decades of impactful and prolific research, two photosynthesis trailblazers are passing the torch, Stephen Long and Donald Ort are retiring from their leadership roles for the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
They have created a legacy through their photosynthesis work, including founding the RIPE project in 2012. RIPE, which is led by Illinois, is engineering crops to be more productive by improving photosynthesis, the natural process all plants use to convert sunlight into energy and yields. RIPE is supported by Gates Agricultural Innovations (Gates Ag One).
"Steve Long and Don Ort’s leadership in photosynthetic research and the RIPE project has transformed our understanding of crop productivity,” said Gates Ag One CEO Joe Cornelius. “Their vision and dedication have advanced innovations that will benefit farmers and food systems for generations. We are grateful for their impact and know their legacy will continue to shape the future of agricultural science worldwide.”
Long, the Ikenberry Endowed University Chair of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology at Illinois, has led RIPE since its founding in 2012. His research has advanced understanding of how climate change affects crops and how improving photosynthesis can boost yields. His lab was the first to demonstrate that enhancing photosynthesis leads to greater productivity in both model and food crops. Long was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2013, became a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2019, and a Pioneer Member of the American Society of Plant Biologists in 2023.
Ort, the Robert Emerson Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, has served as RIPE’s deputy director from the start. His work has deepened knowledge of how plants respond to rising CO2 levels, heat, and drought. He led RIPE’s research on photorespiration, recently demonstrating that modifying this process in potatoes can improve yields under extreme heat. Throughout his career, Ort has published more than 250 peer-reviewed papers, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2017, was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2009, and was also honored as a Pioneer Member of ASPB.
Both Long and Ort plan to return to Illinois as Emeritus Professors later this spring and will remain on the RIPE project as principal investigators. In a joint statement to the RIPE team, Long and Ort said this,
“In the last 12 years, the RIPE project has evolved from a table in an Annual Reviews article to the thriving research community we know today. We have made strides in many aspects of science, but perhaps our most significant achievement has been the many postdocs, graduate students, and technicians we have grown up in the RIPE project who are now making their own impact on the world. We have all come together and rallied behind RIPE’s mission, and our lives have been made better because of the work and the people we have had the opportunity to work alongside.”
As RIPE moves into its next chapter, plans are underway to formally recognize Long and Ort’s contributions to the project and the field of photosynthesis research. Details on the celebration will be shared as they become available, along with the announcement of RIPE’s new leadership team in the coming weeks.