Zachary Lippman

Zachary Lippman is a Professor and Jacob Goldfield Professor of Genetics at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), and Director of Graduate Studies for the CSHL School of Biological Sciences. His research focuses on plant genetics, particularly the genes controlling plant architecture and crop yields using tomatoes and other Solanaceae species as models. He employs genetic, genomic, and CRISPR-based approaches to improve agricultural productivity and enhance crop traits.

Education:

• Ph.D., Watson School of Biological Sciences, CSHL (2004)
• Postdoctoral Research, Weizmann Institute of Science (2005-2008)

Research Interests: Plant development, stem cell regulation, flowering pathways, genomic structural variation, and applications of CRISPR technology in crop improvement. His work bridges fundamental biology with agricultural challenges, aiming to engineer crops resilient to climate change and improve global food security.

Awards:

• 2021 National Academy of Sciences Member
• 2020 NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences
• 2019 MacArthur Fellow
• 2020 ASPB Charles Albert Shull Award
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator

Grants & Collaborations: Leads projects funded by HHMI, NSF, and other agencies. Collaborates globally on initiatives like the Solanum pan-genome project and urban agriculture crop customization.

Labs & Teams: Directs the Lippman Lab at CSHL, fostering interdisciplinary research and mentoring students/postdocs in plant genetics and genomics.