| Maria Harrison | |
| Birth Name: | Maria J. Harrison |
| Fields: | Plant sciences |
| Workplaces: | Boyce Thompson Institute Cornell University |
| Alma Mater: | University of Manchester (PhD) |
| Thesis Title: | Gene Expression During Tomato Seed Development |
| Thesis Url: | https://www.librarysearch.manchester.ac.uk/permalink/44MAN_INST/1r887gn/alma992984219404301631 |
| Thesis Year: | 1987 |
| Doctoral Advisors: | )--> |
| Academic Advisors: | T. A. Brown |
| Awards: | Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2019) |
| Spouses: | )--> |
| Partners: | )--> |
Maria J. Harrison is William H. Crocker Scientist professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Science, and adjunct professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University.
She received her PhD in biochemistry from the University of Manchester in 1987 for research investigating gene expression in tomato seeds supervised by T.A. Brown.[1] [2]
Harrison's lab, including post-doctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and intern students, utilizes a combination of molecular, cell biology, genetic, and genomic techniques to investigate the developmental mechanisms underlying the symbiosis and phosphate transfer between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi; AMF) (including Glomus versiforme, Glomus intraradices, and Gigaspora gigantea) and the roots of model legume Medicago truncatula.[3] Among Harrison's most notable findings are that plants use hormone signaling to regulate AM fungi symbiosis and that phosphate transport is critical to the maintenance of this symbiosis.[4] These discoveries have allowed the field of fungal-plant interactions to pursue new research questions including future manipulation of phosphate acquisition in valuable crop species.
She was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in April 2019[5] and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2024.[6] Other awards and honours include:
| Title | US Patent | |
|---|---|---|
| Root-specific phosphate transporter promoters | 12/257,276 | |
| Plants with increased phosphorus uptake | 7,417,181 | |
| Plant phytase genes and methods of use | 7,557,265 | |
| MtHP promoter element | 7,056,743 |