Maria Harrison

Maria Harrison FRS
Born	Maria J. Harrison
Alma mater	University of Manchester (PhD)
Awards	Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2019)
Scientific career
Fields	Plant sciences[1]
Institutions	Boyce Thompson Institute Cornell University
Thesis	Gene Expression During Tomato Seed Development (1987)
Academic advisors	T. A. Brown[2]
Website	cals.cornell.edu/maria-harrison

Maria J. Harrison FRS 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.[1] [3]

Education

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.[2] [4]

Career and research

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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[6]

Honors and awards

She was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in April 2019[7] and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2024.[8] Other awards and honours include:

• Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award (2015)[9]
• The Dennis R. Hoagland Award (2015)[6]
• American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) Fellow (2013)[10]
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow (2012)[11]
• William H. Crocker Scientist (2011)[12]

Patents

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

References

1. Maria Harrison publications indexed by Google Scholar
2. Harrison, Maria J. (1987). Gene Expression During Tomato Seed Development. manchester.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of Manchester. OCLC 643349833.
3. Maria Harrison publications from Europe PubMed Central
4. Bouchie, AJ (Apr 30, 2019). "BTI's Maria Harrison Elected to National Academy of Sciences". Boyce Thompson Institute. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
5. Anon. "Boyce Thompson Institute - Maria Harrison |". bti.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
6. "ASPB | Dennis R. Hoagland Award". www.aspb.org. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
7. "2019 NAS Election". National Academy of Sciences. April 30, 2019.
8. "Professor Maria Harrison FRS". Royal Society. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
9. Anon. "Boyce Thompson Institute - Planting a Passion for Research |". bti.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
10. "Maria Harrison". academy.asm.org. Archived from the original on 2016-08-07. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
11. Anon. "Boyce Thompson Institute - Three Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) Scientists honored as AAAS Fellows |". bti.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
12. Anon. "Boyce Thompson Institute - Maria Harrison named William H. Crocker Scientist |". bti.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2016-07-11.