Syngenta Scientist Receives Honor

Mary-Dell Chilton, Ph.D., a distinguished science fellow at Syngenta, was one of 14 honorees recently inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF). She received this recognition because of her groundbreaking work with transgenic plants.

"My career in biotechnology has been an exciting journey, and I am amazed to see the progress we have made over the years," says Chilton, who founded the Syngenta biotechnology labs. "My hope is, through discoveries like mine and the discoveries to follow, we will be able to provide a brighter and better future for the generations that follow us."

Chilton’s work with plant biotechnology led her to produce the first transgenic plant in 1983 and showed that plant genomes could be altered more precisely than previously thought. Her research at Syngenta Biotechnology eventually resulted in improving the ability of plants to resist insects and disease and tolerate extreme environmental conditions. Earlier this year, Chilton received the World Food Prize, the foremost international award recognizing individuals who positively impact the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.

"These recent honors belong to all the people who worked with me to produce the first transgenic plants," she says. "I am truly only a representative of the large number of immensely talented experts who contributed to the work."

Established in 1973, NIHF honors U.S. patent holders whose technological advancements have changed the world through human, social and/or economic progress.