RESEARCH. The Wurtzel laboratory conducts basic research on provitamin A carotenoid biosynthesis which is enabling sustainable solutions to global vitamin A deficiency. This interdisciplinary research has revealed pathway control points and led to development of molecular markers for breeding high-provitamin A maize. The Wurtzel laboratory discovered Z-ISO, a new carotenoid enzyme which is essential for biosynthesis of all plant and algal carotenoids, including provitamin A carotenoids. This breakthrough led to discovery of a new prototype function for heme proteins, uncovered a novel means for regulating carotenoid biosynthesis, and redefined the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway in all plants and algae.
AWARDS. In 2006, Dr. Wurtzel was elected a AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and “honored for pioneering research on provitamin A carotenoid biosynthesis and for organizing the first Gordon Research Conference on Plant Metabolic Engineering”. In 2012, Dr. Wurtzel was awarded Fellow of ASPB by the American Society of Plant Biologists for “distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology.” Dr. Wurtzel was honored in 2017, in Switzerland, by The International Carotenoid Society as a Fellow of ICS “which recognizes members whose consistent contributions to the Society, the scientific community, and the general public demonstrate a commitment to excellence, leadership, and sound ethics”. In 2023, Dr. Wurtzel was awarded the prestigious Trevor Goodwin Award for “a lifetime of achievement in research on carotenoid biochemistry” by the International Carotenoid Society at its international conference held in Japan. She is the first USA scientist and first woman to be recognized by this international award. Dr. Wurtzel is active in promoting diversity and gender balance in the scientific community, expanding opportunities for young scientists and facilitating growth of emerging fields of science.
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS. In 2022, Dr. Wurtzel completed three volumes of Methods in Enzymology on Carotenoids, with contributions from 55 carotenoid laboratories worldwide, including 193 authors, which will be a valuable resource to support emerging areas of carotenoid research for years to come. Dr. Wurtzel served as Vice Chair and Chair of the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Carotenoids and founded the GRS Seminar on Carotenoids (2013) for early career scientists. Dr. Wurtzel served as advisor for the provitamin A carotenoid improvement program “BioCassava Plus” funded by the Gates Foundation. In addition to founding the GRC on Plant Metabolic Engineering, Dr. Wurtzel established the associated GRS Seminar for early career scientists. Dr. Wurtzel organized a Banbury meeting at Cold Spring Harbor laboratory to discuss the potential of applying synthetic biology as a second “Green Revolution” to solve global food demands, which led to a widely read Perspective article in Nature Plants. Dr. Wurtzel advised on strategic planning, biology, and chemistry while serving on the GRC Board of Trustees and conference evaluation committee. Dr. Wurtzel served two terms as Monitoring Editor for the ASPB journal, Plant Physiology, and in 2023 began serving as an Editor-in-Chief for Plant Science. Dr. Wurtzel has advised the Templeton Foundation on development of a new funding program on “Plant Resilience” to address food insecurity and climate change. Dr. Wurtzel also serves on the Gordon Research Conference advisory committee for developing programs at GRC conferences that address challenges women face in science and engineering. She is a founding member of the ASPB legacy society, has served on the Women in Plant Biology Committee of the American Society of Plant Biology (2013-16) and previously served on the Minority Affairs Committee (2004-10).
FUNDING, PATENTS, PAPERS. Dr. Wurtzel has been awarded ~$8 million in research funding, has many patents, and has served on numerous federal and international grant review panels. Dr. Wurtzel has published in many high impact journals including Science, Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Plants, Chemical Reviews, PNAS, Plant Cell, and Plant Physiology.
AWARDS. In 2006, Dr. Wurtzel was elected a AAAS Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and “honored for pioneering research on provitamin A carotenoid biosynthesis and for organizing the first Gordon Research Conference on Plant Metabolic Engineering”. In 2012, Dr. Wurtzel was awarded Fellow of ASPB by the American Society of Plant Biologists for “distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology.” Dr. Wurtzel was honored in 2017, in Switzerland, by The International Carotenoid Society as a Fellow of ICS “which recognizes members whose consistent contributions to the Society, the scientific community, and the general public demonstrate a commitment to excellence, leadership, and sound ethics”. In 2023, Dr. Wurtzel was awarded the prestigious Trevor Goodwin Award for “a lifetime of achievement in research on carotenoid biochemistry” by the International Carotenoid Society at its international conference held in Japan. She is the first USA scientist and first woman to be recognized by this international award. Dr. Wurtzel is active in promoting diversity and gender balance in the scientific community, expanding opportunities for young scientists and facilitating growth of emerging fields of science.
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS. In 2022, Dr. Wurtzel completed three volumes of Methods in Enzymology on Carotenoids, with contributions from 55 carotenoid laboratories worldwide, including 193 authors, which will be a valuable resource to support emerging areas of carotenoid research for years to come. Dr. Wurtzel served as Vice Chair and Chair of the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Carotenoids and founded the GRS Seminar on Carotenoids (2013) for early career scientists. Dr. Wurtzel served as advisor for the provitamin A carotenoid improvement program “BioCassava Plus” funded by the Gates Foundation. In addition to founding the GRC on Plant Metabolic Engineering, Dr. Wurtzel established the associated GRS Seminar for early career scientists. Dr. Wurtzel organized a Banbury meeting at Cold Spring Harbor laboratory to discuss the potential of applying synthetic biology as a second “Green Revolution” to solve global food demands, which led to a widely read Perspective article in Nature Plants. Dr. Wurtzel advised on strategic planning, biology, and chemistry while serving on the GRC Board of Trustees and conference evaluation committee. Dr. Wurtzel served two terms as Monitoring Editor for the ASPB journal, Plant Physiology, and in 2023 began serving as an Editor-in-Chief for Plant Science. Dr. Wurtzel has advised the Templeton Foundation on development of a new funding program on “Plant Resilience” to address food insecurity and climate change. Dr. Wurtzel also serves on the Gordon Research Conference advisory committee for developing programs at GRC conferences that address challenges women face in science and engineering. She is a founding member of the ASPB legacy society, has served on the Women in Plant Biology Committee of the American Society of Plant Biology (2013-16) and previously served on the Minority Affairs Committee (2004-10).
FUNDING, PATENTS, PAPERS. Dr. Wurtzel has been awarded ~$8 million in research funding, has many patents, and has served on numerous federal and international grant review panels. Dr. Wurtzel has published in many high impact journals including Science, Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Plants, Chemical Reviews, PNAS, Plant Cell, and Plant Physiology.
