Maria Harrison is a plant biologist, William H. Crocker Scientist professor at the

Boyce Thompson Institute The Boyce Thompson Institute (previously: Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research) is an independent research institute devoted to using plant sciences to improve agriculture, protect the Environment (biophysical), environment, and enhance hea ...

for Plant Science, and adjunct professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University. Harrison's lab, including post-doctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and intern students, utilizes a combination of molecular,

cell biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

, genetic, and

genomic Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes as well as its hierarchical, three-dim ...

techniques to investigate the developmental mechanisms underlying the

symbiosis Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

and phosphate transfer between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi; AMF) (including ''Glomus versiforme'', '' Glomus intraradices'', and ''Gigaspora gigantea'') and the roots of model legume '' Medicago truncatula.'' Among Harrison's most notable findings are that plants use hormone signaling to regulate AM fungi symbiosis and that phosphate transport is critical to the maintenance of this symbiosis. These discoveries have allowed the field of fungal-plant interactions to pursue new research questions including future manipulation of phosphate acquisition in valuable crop species. She was elected a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

in April 2019. She received her doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Manchester in 1987.

Honors and awards

* Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award (2015) * The Dennis R. Hoagland Award (2015) * American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) Fellow (2013) * American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow (2012) * William H. Crocker Scientist (2011)

Patents

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Maria Living people Cornell University faculty American women botanists American botanists Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences American women academics 21st-century American women