Chris R. Somerville

Somerville majored in Mathematics and completed a PhD in Genetics at the University of Alberta, and then did postdoctoral research in the laboratory of William Ogren before serving as a faculty member at U. Alberta, Michigan State University, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley. He directed the Department of Plant Biology at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University and then the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. He retired from the UC Berkeley faculty in 2017.{{Cite web| title = College of Natural Resources Faculty Retirements| work = UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources| accessdate = 2017-12-19| url = https://nature.berkeley.edu/news/2017/06/cnr-faculty-retirees}}

Somerville was co-founder and Executive Chairman of Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. and a co-founder of Poetic Genetics, LS9, Inc, and Redleaf Biologics.{{Cite web| title = About – RedLeaf Biologics| accessdate = 2021-07-05| url = https://redleafbiologics.com/about/}}

Somerville has contributed to societal debates on the value of transgenic crops{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1104/pp.123.4.1201| issn = 0032-0889| volume = 123| issue = 4| pages = 1201–1202| last = Somerville| first = Chris| title = The Genetically Modified Organism Conflict| journal = Plant Physiology| date = 2000-08-01| pmid = 10938338| url = https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.123.4.1201| pmc = 1539266}} and biofuels.

Together with Elliot Meyerowitz, Somerville was awarded the Balzan Prize in 2006 for his work developing the small mustard plant A. thaliana as a model.{{cite web | title=Elliot Meyerowitz Christopher Somerville - Balzan Prize Plant Molecular Genetics | website=Milano Zurigo | url=http://www.balzan.org/en/prizewinners/elliot-meyerowitz-e-christopher-somerville | access-date=December 20, 2017}}{{cite web | title=Christopher Somerville | website=Balzan Prizewinner Biography | date=October 11, 1947 | url=http://www.balzan.org/en/prizewinners/elliot-meyerowitz-e-christopher-somerville/c--r--somerville-biography | access-date=December 20, 2017}}{{cite book | last1=Studies | first1=D.E.L. | last2=Medicine | first2=I. | last3=Resources | first3=B.A.N. | last4=Sciences | first4=B.L. | last5=Health | first5=C.E.M.T. | last6=Oaks | first6=S.C. | last7=Shope | first7=R.E. | last8=Lederberg | first8=J. | title=The National Plant Genome Initiative: Objectives for 2003-2008 | publisher=National Academies Press | year=2002 | isbn=978-0-309-16879-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_DbtdQ8ySKQC&pg=PA63 | access-date=December 20, 2017 | page=63}}{{cite book | last=(U.S.) | first=National Science Foundation | title=Mosaic | publisher=The Foundation | year=1991 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p15RAQAAMAAJ | access-date=December 20, 2017}} His interest in this plant was partly stimulated by a review article {{Cite journal| doi = 10.1146/annurev.ge.09.120175.000551| pmid = 1108762| volume = 9| issue = 1| pages = 111–127| last = Redei| first = G P| title = Arabidopsis as a genetic tool| journal = Annual Review of Genetics| date = 1975-12-01}} written by George Rédei.{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1126/science.290.5489.32| pmid = 11183143| volume = 290| issue = 5489| pages = 32–35| last = Pennisi| first = Elizabeth| author-link = Elizabeth Pennisi | title = Arabidopsis comes of age| journal = Science| date = 2000-10-06| s2cid = 82370817}}{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1104/pp.125.1.20| volume = 125| issue = 1| pages = 20–24| last = Somerville| first = Chris R.| title = An Early Arabidopsis Demonstration. Resolving a Few Issues Concerning Photorespiration| journal = Plant Physiology| date = 2001-01-01| url = http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/125/1/20| pmid = 11154287| pmc = 1539316}}{{Cite web| last = Potter| first = Erik| title = From apathy to apogee|work = MIZZOU Magazine| accessdate = 2014-08-22| date = 2014| url = https://mizzoumag.missouri.edu/2014/08/from-apathy-to-apogee/}}

While at Michigan State University and funded by DOE, Somerville's research included developing transgenic plants which contained genes from two bacteria and enabled Arabidopsis to produce polyhydroxybutate (PHB), a biodegradable plastic.{{Cite web |last=#author.fullName} |title=Technology: How to sow cress and reap plastic |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13418204-000-technology-how-to-sow-cress-and-reap-plastic/ |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}} Companies already used PHB grown in bacteria, but it would be more cheaply produced from plants with the concept that potato would produce the plastic.{{Cite web |title=Feature: Farm Fields of Dreams |url=https://alumni.msu.edu/stay-informed/alumni-stories/feature-farm-fields-of-dreams |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=Alumni |language=en-US}}

Many trainees from Somerville's lab have started independent labs, including Mark Estelle, Peter McCourt, George W. Haughn, John W. Schiefelbein, Christoph Benning, Clint Chapple, Wolf-Dieter Reiter, John Browse, Sean Cutler, Dominique Bergmann, Seung Y. Rhee, Staffan Persson, Wolfgang Lukowitz, C. Stewart Gillmor, Jose Martinez-Zapater, Hong Zhang, Ruth Finkelstein, Micha Volokita, Barbara Moffatt, Kathy Wu, Jose Botella, Bertrand Lemieux, Erwin Grill, John Shanklin, Yves Poirier, Christianne nawrath, Susan Gibson, Deane Falcone, Koh Iba, Simon Turner, Pierre Broun, Sean Cutler, Joe Ogas, Wolf Scheible, Dario Bonetta, John Sedbrook, Heather Youngs, Farhah Assaad, Michelle Facette, Alex Paredez, Jose Estevez, Seth DeBolt, Thorsten Hamman, Ying Gu, Ian Wallace, Philipp Benz, Charles Anderson, and Adrienne Roeder.

Somerville is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1996), the Royal Society (1991), and the Royal Society of Canada (1993). Among the awards he has received are:  the EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Award (2010); Balzan Prize (with Elliot Meyerowitz) (2006); Genetics Society, Mendel Medal (2004); Biochemical Society, Hopkins Medal (2004); ASPB Gibbs Medal (1993);  Humbolt Research Award (1992);  ASPB Schull Award (1987);  NSF Young Presidential Investigator Award (1984). He was awarded honorary degrees by the University of York (2016); Michigan State University (2012); Guelph University (2006);  Wageningen University (1998);  University of Alberta (1997); Queens University (1993).

Appeared in the Bill Nye the Science Guy episode entitled "Pollution Solutions".{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3WlyZrJvh8 |title=Bill Nye the Science Guy 0407 Pollution Solutions |date=2017-07-01 |last=oben04 |access-date=2025-01-18 |via=YouTube}} He presented his research on biodegradable plant-based plastics using the model plant Arabidopsis.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-16 |title=Screen scrimmage: Famous scenes shot at Stanford and Berkeley |url=https://stanforddaily.com/2023/11/16/screen-scrimmage-famous-scenes-shot-at-stanford-and-berkeley/ |access-date=2025-01-18 |language=en-US}}

• Pioneered ‘biochemical genetics’ approach to problems in plant metabolism, including photorespiration, lipid metabolism, and cellulose synthesis.
• First map-based cloning of an A. thaliana gene

{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1126/science.1455229| volume = 258| issue = 5086| pages = 1353–1355| last1 = Arondel| first1 = V.| last2 = Lemieux| first2 = B.| last3 = Hwang| first3 = I.| last4 = Gibson| first4 = S.| last5 = Goodman| first5 = H. M.| last6 = Somerville| first6 = C. R.| title = Map-based cloning of a gene controlling omega-3 fatty acid desaturation in Arabidopsis| journal = Science| date = 1992-11-20| pmid = 1455229| bibcode = 1992Sci...258.1353A}}

• Lead development of The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) database and web resource

• {{Cite journal| volume = 2| pages = 89–93| last1 = Estelle| first1 = M. A.| last2 = Somerville| first2 = Chris R.| title = The mutants of Arabidopsis| journal = Trends in Genetics| date = 1986| doi = 10.1016/0168-9525(86)90190-3}}
• {{Cite journal| doi = 10.1038/nrg927| volume = 3| issue = 11| pages = 883–889| last1 = Somerville| first1 = Chris| last2 = Koornneef| first2 = Maarten| title = A fortunate choice: the history of Arabidopsis as a model plant| journal = Nature Reviews Genetics| date = 2002| pmid = 12415318| s2cid = 37515057}}
• {{Cite journal| doi = 10.1126/science.1102765| volume = 306| issue = 5705| pages = 2206–2211| last1 = Somerville| first1 = Chris| last2 = Bauer| first2 = Stefan| last3 = Brininstool| first3 = Ginger| last4 = Facette| first4 = Michelle| last5 = Hamann| first5 = Thorsten| last6 = Milne| first6 = Jennifer| last7 = Osborne| first7 = Erin| last8 = Paredez| first8 = Alex| last9 = Persson| first9 = Staffan| last10 = Raab| first10 = Ted| last11 = Vorwerk| first11 = Sonja| last12 = Youngs| first12 = Heather| title = Toward a Systems Approach to Understanding Plant Cell Walls| journal = Science| date = 2004-12-24| pmid = 15618507| bibcode = 2004Sci...306.2206S| s2cid = 1930301| url = https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1452&context=biosci_pubs}}
• {{Cite journal| doi = 10.1016/j.cub.2007.01.010| volume = 17| issue = 4| pages = 115–119| last = Somerville| first = Chris| title = Biofuels| journal = Current Biology| date = 2007-02-20| pmid = 17307040| doi-access = free}}
• {{Cite journal| doi = 10.1016/j.copbio.2017.03.027| volume = 45| pages = 184–190| last1 = Youngs| first1 = Heather| last2 = Somerville| first2 = Chris| title = Implementing industrial–academic partnerships to advance bioenergy research: the Energy Biosciences Institute| journal = Current Opinion in Biotechnology| date = 2017-06-01| pmid = 28458111}}

• {{Cite journal| doi = 10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81680-3| volume = 100| issue = 1| pages = 13–25| last = Somerville| first = Chris| title = The twentieth century trajectory of plant biology| journal = Cell| date = 2000-01-07| pmid = 10647928| s2cid = 22338154| doi-access = free}}
• {{Cite journal| doi = 10.1104/pp.125.1.20| volume = 125| issue = 1| pages = 20–24| last = Somerville| first = Chris R.| title = An early Arabidopsis demonstration. Resolving a few issues concerning photorespiration| journal = Plant Physiology| date = 2001-01-01| pmid = 11154287| pmc = 1539316| doi-access = free}}
• {{Cite journal| doi = 10.1016/j.cub.2004.09.064| pmid = 15498473| volume = 14| issue = 20| pages = 872–873| title = Q & A: Chris Somerville | journal = Current Biology| date = 2004-10-26| last1 = Somerville| first1 = Chris| doi-access = free}}

• History of research on Arabidopsis thaliana

{{reflist}}

• [http://plantandmicrobiology.berkeley.edu/profile/csomerville Faculty page], with links to CV and list of awards
• [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CXXYxf4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao Google scholar profile]
• [https://royalsociety.org/people/christopher-somerville-12319/ Royal Society page]
• [https://www.openphilanthropy.org/about/team/chris-somerville Open Philanthropy Project page]

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Category:Living people

Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences

Category:Foreign members of the Royal Society

Category:21st-century American biologists

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Academic staff of the University of Alberta

Category:Michigan State University faculty

Category:University of Alberta alumni

Category:Stanford University faculty

Category:University of California, Berkeley faculty