Ralph Dewey

Ralph Dewey is the Philip Morris Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Crop Science at North Carolina State University (NC State). He has been affiliated with NC State since 1991, specializing in molecular biology applications for crop improvement. His research focuses on plant metabolic pathways, particularly nicotine biosynthesis and nitrate assimilation in tobacco. Dewey leads the Dewey Lab, which develops genetic tools to modify plant traits for agricultural and health benefits.

Education: Received graduate training in Plant Molecular Biology at NC State under Dr. C. S. Levings III and Dr. David Timothy. Postdoctoral studies at the Waksman Institute, Rutgers University under Dr. Daniel F. Klessig.

Research Interests: Genetic engineering of crop plants, metabolic pathway regulation, and reducing harmful compounds in agricultural products. Key areas include alkaloid biosynthesis, nitrate metabolism, and CRISPR-mediated gene editing.

Lab/Teams: Dewey Lab focuses on molecular approaches to improve crop traits through genetic modification, with emphasis on tobacco and Stevia species.