Em. Prof. Marc Van Montagu is a pioneer in plant molecular biology. He is well known (with J. Schell) as the discoverer of the Ti-plasmid and the inventor of Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation technology, now used worldwide to produce genetically engineered plants. In addition to groundbreaking contributions to unravel the natural mechanism of gene transfer in A. tumefaciens, the laboratory of Marc Van Montagu has applied gene transfer technology to study gene regulation and to discover the molecular basis of several plant physiological processes. He has given pioneering contributions on plant gene discovery and regulation, plant molecular mechanisms of response to abiotic stresses, and plant development.
Dr. Van Montagu has received numerous prestigious awards and honors, in particular the Japan Prize for Biotechnology and Agriculture Sciences in 1998, and the World Food Prize in 2013. He is a member of 11 academies of sciences/agriculture worldwide and recipient of 9 honorary doctorate degrees. Marc Van Montagu was the President of the European Federation of Biotechnologists from 2005-2013 and was appointed UNIDO Goodwill Ambassador for the development of agribusiness in low-income countries in 2014. He has produced over 1100 scientific publications that have received more than 90.000 citations. Due to his accomplishments, he received in 1990 the title of Baron from the King of Belgians.