Molly Jahn

Molly Jahn is an American plant geneticist and breeder and Professor of Agronomy at University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. She was Under Secretary of Research, Education and Economics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (2009 - 2010).

Molly Jahn
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSwarthmore College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University
Known forDeputy and Acting Under Secretary of Research, Education, and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2009-10
Scientific career
FieldsGenetics, Plant virology, Food security
InstitutionsCornell University, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Career

Jahn (originally Kyle) graduated with BA in biology (with Distinction) from Swarthmore College in 1980. She subsequently completed a master's degree at MIT in 1983 and obtained her doctorate in plant breeding and plant pathology from Cornell University in 1988. She was appointed assistant, associate and finally full professor of plant breeding and plant biology at Cornell University from 1991-2006.[1] She moved to University of Wisconsin-Madison where she was dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and director of the Wisconsin Experiment Station from 2006 - 2011 and continues as professor of agronomy.[1]

She also holds appointments outside University of Wisconsin-Madison. During 2009-10, she was Deputy and Acting Under Secretary of Research, Education, and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.[2] She was seconded to NASA in 2019-20 and will continue as 25%-time Director of Strategic Outreach, NASA Harvest Consortium into 2022.[3][4]

Scientific research

Her research interests include plant genetics and genomics especially the resistance of plants to viruses. She has concentrated on the Solanaceae specifically potatoes, tomatoes and pungency in Capsicum, but has also worked with melons, squashes and pumpkins. She has been involved with and led plant breeding programmes that have resulted in new cultivars of squash (including All American Selections Winner Bush Delicata in 2002;Honeynut in 2014; All American Selections Winners Honeybaby F1 and Sugaretti in 2017), pepper, melon and cucumber (Salt and Pepper in 2011) varieties as well as having received awards for potato breeding.[5]

As well as plant breeding her research has involved fundamental aspects of plant physiology. As her career has developed she has become more involved in public policy areas of plant science, particularly related to world food security.[6][7]

Distinctions

Jahn has served on advisory boards including the US National Academies of Science Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Santa Fe Institute Science Board and was the USA representative on the CGIAR’s Commission for Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change.[8]

In 2012 she was awarded a USDA Secretary’s Honor Award for an electronic suggestions box so USDA employees could make anonymous suggestions to improve the agency.[9]

Jahn has been awarded Honorary D. Sc. degrees from Anglia Ruskin University, UK in 2014[6] and Swarthmore College in 2015.[10] She was commencement speaker at the University of Sydney in 2016. She is also a Fellow of the AAAS and the Wisconsin Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters.

Significant publications

Jahn has authored or co-authored over 100 scientific publications and books. Her most significant publications include:

References
  1. "Molly Jahn". Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  2. Buntjer, Julie (27 March 2010). "An area of opportunity". The Globe. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  3. "Molly Jahn How I work with Harvest". NASA HARVEST. University of Maryland Center for Global Agricultural Monitoring Research. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  4. "Meet a TReNDS Expert: Molly Jahn". Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  5. "Molly Jahn" (PDF). Jahn Research Group. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  6. "Professor Molly Jahn". Angela Ruskin University. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  7. "Molly Jahn, University of Wisconsin-Madison". Expert Meeting on the Global Risk Assessment Framework in support of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Paris Agreement' - 20–21 November, Geneva, Switzerland. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  8. "Molly Jahn Adjunct Senior Research Scientist". Columbia University Earth Institute. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  9. Sakai, Jill. "USDA honors project led by UW–Madison professor". UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN–MADISON.
  10. "Interim President Constance Hungerford's Charge to Molly Miller Jahn '80". Swarthmore. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
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