Understanding Photosynthesis to Improve Crop Production

Krishna Niyogi
1982 Oak Ridge High School graduate
Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2016.

Professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology
at the University of California at Berkeley
Faculty Scientist in the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Niyogi discovered the genetic mechanisms by which green plants cope with receiving excessive sunlight. He found that plants have a line of defense (non-photochemical quenching, or NPQ) that enables them to release the extra light energy as heat. In 2001, Niyogi received the Melvin Calvin Award from the International Society of Photosynthesis Research in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the understanding of mechanisms of “photoprotection” in plants and algae.