Esther Ngumbi, a postdoctoral researcher at Illinois, has been selected as the Society for Experimental Biology’s SEB+ section 2018 President’s Medallist. Candidates for the medal are selected on the basis of their outstanding contribution to one of the four fields of research represented by the SEB’s four sections (SEB+, plant, cell and animal biology).
Ngumbi’s research provides novel sustainable solutions to improve crop and rangeland productivity and feed the world’s growing population during a changing climate. Working with beneficial soil microbes, she has evaluated the potential of novel microbial inoculants derived from beneficial soil bacteria to promote growth and enhance tolerance to drought stress in multiple crops, grass and pasture systems.
She also has played a significant role in the mentoring of younger scientists, particularly those from minority backgrounds. “I believe in inspiring, encouraging and mentoring the future generation of scientists since the future of science, so important to the prosperity of our world, depends on the skillful mentoring of each new generation by the one that precedes it,” she said.
Ngumbi will receive her award July 4 at the SEB’s 2018 Annual Meeting in Florence, Italy, where she will deliver a keynote lecture titled “Beyond the lab: The quest to make science accessible to the public and pass it on to the next generation.” For more information, visit the society’s website.