Mary-Dell Chilton

Born: 1939

Country of Birth: USA

Nationality: USA

Ethnicity: White

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 1960 BS, 1967 PhD, Chemisrty; postdoctoral work, University of Washington-Seattle

Field of Study: Biotechnology

Institution/Corporation: Syngenta Biotechnology Inc

Degrees & Memberships: Honorary Degree: University of Louvaine; Member: US National Academy of Sciences, Pioneer Member of American Society of Plant Biologists

Awards: 2013, World Food Prize Laureate; 2015, National Inventors Hall of Fame; 2002, Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science; John Scott Medal, City of Philadelphia; 2011, Presidential Award, Crop Science Society of America; 2002, Syngenta created The Mary-Dell Chilton Center; 2015, USDA Hall of Heroes (2nd female ever inducted); 2004, Women in Technology Hall of Fame; 2016, University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award

Achievements: discoverer of 1st Transgenic (GM) Plants , 1976; founded first biotechnology lab at CIBA-Geigy (now Syngenta); under her leadership Syngenta was the 1st company to commercialize a biotech trait in corn (Bt)