After decades of impactful and prolific research, two photosynthesis trailblazers are passing the torch. Stephen Long and Donald Ort are retiring from their leadership roles for the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Long, the Ikenberry Endowed University Chair of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology at Illinois, has led RIPE since its founding in 2012. His research has advanced understanding of how climate change affects crops and how improving photosynthesis can boost yields. His lab was the first to demonstrate that enhancing photosynthesis leads to greater productivity in both model and food crops. Long was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2013, became a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2019, and a Pioneer Member of the American Society of Plant Biologists in 2023.

Ort, the Robert Emerson Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, has served as RIPE’s deputy director from the start. His work has deepened knowledge of how plants respond to rising CO2 levels, heat, and drought. He led RIPE’s research on photorespiration, recently demonstrating that modifying this process in potatoes can improve yields under extreme heat. Throughout his career, Ort has published more than 250 peer-reviewed papers, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2017, was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2009, and was also honored as a Pioneer Member of ASPB.

Both Long and Ort plan to return to Illinois as emeritus professors later this spring and will remain on the RIPE project as principal investigators.

Read more from the RIPE Project.