Ram Dixit, a prominent professor and chair of biology at Washington University, has been awarded the prestigious Fellows Award for Outstanding Achievement in Science by the Academy of Science – St. Louis. His groundbreaking research on the cytoskeleton and its role in plant cell morphogenesis has earned him the honor. Dixit’s work, which focuses on understanding the molecular machinery that shapes plant cell walls, has been vital in advancing the understanding of plant development.
His research group combines live imaging, molecular genetics, and computational modeling to study the cortical microtubule cytoskeleton, a crucial structure that influences plant cell shape and wall assembly. Dixit is a principal investigator with the National Science Foundation’s Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, a collaborative effort with the University of Pennsylvania. His work has been published in prestigious journals such as Science, Nature Plants, and The Plant Journal. In 2015, Dixit was awarded the NSF CAREER Award for his outstanding contributions to science.
The Outstanding St. Louis Scientists Awards have honored some of the region’s brightest minds, and this year’s recipients represent a wide array of scientific disciplines, including plant science, medicine, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1856, the Academy of Science – St. Louis continues to promote science literacy and education through its community-focused initiatives.
