MPIPZ names lecture hall after former director Jeff Schell
 

The MPIPZ's main lecture hall has been officially named in honour of renowned plant scientist and former director Jeff Schell, as part of a two-day international symposium on plant science.
 

The dedication recognises Schell's remarkable contributions to plant research.

Jeff Schell served as director of MPIPZ for more than 20 years and made significant contributions to to the field of gene transfer, co-developing the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation technique that revolutionised plant genetic engineering. His work with van Montagu showed that Agrobacterium tumefaciens could be used as a natural vector to transfer foreign genes into plants, enabling genetic modification. This technique is still used by many scientists today. Schell received many honours and awards for his outstanding scientific achievements. We would like to make a modest contribution to these awards by naming our lecture theatre after him.

The 'Symposium on Plant Cell Biology' with international speakers underlined the Institute's commitment to recognising scientific excellence. As the first event in the newly named lecture hall, it provided an excellent platform for scientific exchange and discussion. Scientific topics ranged from epigenetic regulation, cross-kingdom RNA transfer, stem cell organisation, programmed cell death, plasmodesmata traffic control to nutrient transport in plant roots.

Our 'Jeff Schell Lecture Hall' will continue to serve as an important venue for academic discussions, seminars and scientific exchange, as a tribute to its lasting impact.