Sue Wessler, an internationally recognized leader in the field of genetics and elected member to the National Academy of Sciences, has been appointed as a distinguished professor of genetics in the Botany & Plant Sciences department and Institute for Integrative Genome Biology (IIGB) at UCR. Professor Wessler’s pioneering work on the molecular biology and evolution of mobile genetic elements or transposable elements(TEs) has been recognized by numerous award and honors. The most prestigious of these include election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, service to the Council of the National Academy, selection as a Howard Hughes Research Institute Professor, and recipient of the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA).

In addition to her research program, Dr. Wessler is also engaged in an innovative teaching program as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, in which she has brought research in genetics and evolution to the undergraduate classroom at the University of Georgia, her current institution. As a recent recruit to the Center for Plant Cell Biology (CEPCEB), Dr. Wessler’s research will bring together people who work on evolution, ecology, bioinformatics, development and cell biology and of course, her forte, genetics. She also pioneers an experimental and forward-looking teaching style by exposing undergraduate students to genomes and evolution through experimentation and by getting them excited about scientific discoveries. These class experiences tend to be irresistible and motivational to students, making science the center of lifetime career goals.