Susan McCouch is the Barbara McClintock Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics in the School of Integrated Plant Sciences at Cornell University. She received her PhD from Cornell in 1990 and spent 5 years with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines before joining the Cornell faculty in 1995. She is well known for her pioneering studies on molecular mapping in rice and the development of genomics-based platforms to explore the extent, distribution and phenotypic consequences of genetic variation in Oryza. Researchers throughout the world utilize the molecular markers, genotyping platforms, analysis protocols and germplasm resources developed in her lab for genetics research and breeding applications. She has trained scores of young scientists who contribute to rice research nationally and internationally and has a prolific publication record. She is the recipient of numerous teaching and faculty awards, is an elected fellow of AAAS. She has served as scientific advisor on the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), the NSF Advisory Committee for International Science and Engineering (AC-ISE), and as Chair of the AAAS Section on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
