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Kevin Cox, PhD, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Associate Member
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Photo credit: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
St. Louis, Missouri, August 21, 2024 – The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center announced today that Dr. Kevin Cox has joined as an assistant member. Cox will have a joint appointment as an assistant professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis. A native St. Louisan, Cox grew up in Florissant and graduated from Hazelwood Central High School. He worked as a student assistant at the Danforth Center while working on his bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Cox then earned his PhD in plant pathology from Texas A&M University and returned to the Danforth Center as a postdoctoral fellow to work on mechanisms of plant disease resistance and develop methods to study plant spatial biology. Today, his research uses advanced imaging, molecular biology, and single-cell and spatial genomics to understand how genes are controlled in different plant cells and organs.
“I think of spatial genomics as taking a blank map of the United States and labeling it with state borders, cities and towns, rivers and roads,” Cox explains. “If we can pinpoint or map where genes are expressed in plants, we can better understand how plant cells communicate to grow and defend themselves against stress.”
“Kevin Cox brings a tremendous dimension to our research at the Danforth Center,” said President and CEO Dr. Jim Carrington. “His work will be important for increasing the productivity of food crops and reducing the environmental impact of agriculture.”
In 2019, Cox was named one of 15 Hanna H. Gray Fellows by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, MD. The fellowship supported him during his postdoctoral training period and will provide him with research funding for up to four years to launch his program and career as a faculty member.
“Kevin is the ideal person for this unique position to foster collaboration between Washington University and the Danforth Center,” said Ram Dixit, PhD, chair of biology at Washington University.
About the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving human lives through plant science. Research, education, and outreach are designed to make an impact at the intersection of food security and the environment and position the St. Louis region as a world center for plant science. The center’s work is funded by competitive grants from many sources, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and support from individuals and businesses.
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