Paul Schulze-Lefert Elected Fellow of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
 

Professor Paul Schulze-Lefert has been elected as a Fellow of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. In 2025, 46 researchers from around the world received this accolade in recognition of their outstanding scientific achievements.

For more than thirty years, Paul Schulze-Lefert has been at the forefront of research into the molecular dialogue between plants and microbes. His work has changed our understanding of how plants detect pathogens, activate, and deploy immune responses to terminate pathogen proliferation.

Early in his career, Paul focused on the study of disease resistance to fungal pathogens in cereal plants. He pioneered the isolation of plant genes in complex cereal genomes and used genetic analysis to identify pathways for extracellular immune responses that are conserved in seed plants. More recently, he and his team, in close collaboration with Jane Parker and Jijie Chai, have uncovered fundamental structural and biochemical insights into the activation and signaling mechanisms of plant immune receptors. 

Over the last decade, he and his team have developed reductionist approaches to the study of the plant microbiome. This has enabled them to define mechanisms that allow establishment of microbial communities at the interface with the plant immune system. These microbial communities are beneficial to the host plant, for example by mobilizing minerals from the soil for plant nutrition.

These discoveries also pave the way for novel approaches to more sustainable agriculture.

Founded in 1603, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei is Italy’s highest cultural and scientific institution and one of the oldest scientific academies in the world. It promotes research and culture across disciplines, advises public institutions, and fosters international collaboration.