Jennifer Ann Thomson (16 June, 1947) is a South African microbiologist, author and most notably an expert on and proponent of the agricultural benefit of Genetically modified organisms (GMO). Thomson was born in Cape Town, South Africa and she is currently a professor at her alma mater the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

Education and employment

Jennifer Ann Thomson received degrees and educational experience from across the globe, most notably South Africa. Thomson received a Bachelors of Science in Zoology from the

, a

Masters of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Genetics from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

and a PhD in Microbiology from

Rhodes University Rhodes University is a public research university located in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the province's oldest ...

. Thomson was a postdoctoral fellow at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

and also spent a year at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

. Thomson began her journey of professorship as a lecturer and associate professor in the genetics department of

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

in South Africa before she established the Laboratory for Molecular and Cell Biology for the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and served as its director. After many roles and a department reconstruction, Thomson settled into her current role as a Emeritus Professor of Microbiology in the Molecular and Cell Biology department and Deputy Dean of Science at her alma mater the

, also in South America. As well as being an advisor, fellow, chair and member of many boards such as th
Council for Biotechnology Information
African Agricultural Technology Foundation, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, BIO-EARN, and the European Action Group on Life Sciences. Lastly, she is the President of the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World.

Research

Thomson is leading a team in the development of a

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

which is resistant to the African endemic

maize streak virus ''Maize streak virus'' (MSV) is a virus primarily known for causing maize streak disease (MSD) in its major host, and which also infects over 80 wild and domesticated grasses. It is an insect-transmitted maize pathogen in the genus ''Mastrevirus ...

(MSV) and to

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

through the use of

GMOs A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. The exact definition of a genetically modified organism and what constitutes genetic engineering varies, with ...

. Maize streak virus greatly stunts the growth of crops. This lack of growth in crops adds to the severe starvation and hardships faced by many in the area where Thomson conducts her research. Because of this possible benefit of the use of GMOs, Thomson flights diligently for GMOs use, seeing them as a tool rather than a potential harm. The work she has done on crops has, so far, shown excellent defence against MSV and drought and it was the first ever transgenic crop created in Africa, by Africans, to help elevate an African problem.

Publications

Alongside numerous research publications, Thomson has also published 3 books: Genes for Africa, Seeds for the Future and Food for Africa. All have to do with the use of GMO in crops in South America.

Awards

Thomson has received the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science and an honorary doctorate from the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. She received both the Four Outstanding SA Woman Achiever of the Year award and the Four Outstanding Young SA Woman Achiever of the Year award administered from the Women's Bureau from South Africa. Thomson has also been named as a Fellow by the

Royal Society of South Africa The Royal Society of South Africa is a learned society composed of eminent South African scientists and academics. The society was granted its royal charter by King Edward VII in 1908, nearly a century after Capetonians first began to conceive ...

. Most recently the Accademia dei Lincei of Italy awarded Thomson the International Prize for the Protection of Human Rights.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Jennifer 1947 births Living people South African microbiologists Fellows of the Royal Society of South Africa L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science laureates University of Cape Town alumni Academic staff of the University of Cape Town Academic staff of the University of the Witwatersrand South African women scientists 21st-century women scientists