Michelmore elected to National Academy of Sciences

Richard Michelmore, founder of the UC Davis Genome Center, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Michelmore is a molecular biologist and distinguished professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences who pioneered saliva-based COVID-19 testing for large-scale use, among other key contributions.

Michelmore’s research portfolio is rooted in the comparative and functional genomics of disease resistance in Arabidopsis, tomato and lettuce. His study of these species has been foundational for understanding how plants defend themselves against pathogens and how resistance genes evolve over time, as well as for developing strategies to enhance disease resistance in crop plants. His research includes both wet lab and computational methods for the analysis of complex genomic data.

His multidisciplinary approach combines molecular, genetic and evolutionary perspectives to exploit genomic information of plants and pathogens for the deployment of resistance genes in crop plants, with the goal of providing more durable disease resistance. He has published more than 200 scientific papers, reflecting his extensive contributions to the field.

His research has had far-reaching practical implications for agriculture, particularly in enhancing crop resilience and productivity in the face of disease challenges.

For his efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide fast, effective and free testing for the campus and surrounding areas, Michelmore received the 2020-21 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award from the UC Davis Academic Senate. He also is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the founding director emeritus of the UC Davis Genome Center (2003-2024).  

Michelmore is among three professors from the University of California, Davis, who were elected this spring to the National Academy of Sciences. The other two are: Savithramma P. Dinesh-Kumar, professor and chair in the Department of Plant Biology; and Walter S. Leal, distinguished professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

The three are among 120 new members and 24 international members announced by the academy April 30. Members are elected in recognition of their contributions to original research. Membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors a scientist can achieve.