Jury report for Prof. B.J.G. (Ben) Scheres

Professor Molecular Genetics at Utrecht University.

Professor Scheres receives the NWO/Spinoza Prize 2006 for his major contributions to the understanding of cell development in plants, and in particular for his new insights into the role of stem cells in root development.

Ben ScheresBen Scheres (10 July 1960, Echt) studied phytopathology at Wageningen University, where he gained his doctorate in 1990. After working as a postdoc researcher at the laboratory for genetics in Gent, he was appointed as a lecturer at Utrecht University. There he was appointed as special professor in the Developmental Genetics of Plants in 1999. Just prior to this he received a Jonge Chemici prijs (Young Chemist Prize) and a pioneer grant from NWO. The American Botanical Society awarded the highly prestigious Siron Pelton Prize to him in 2000 and in 2004 he was elected as a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). Since 2005, the biologist has been professor of Molecular Genetics at Utrecht University.

Ben Scheres investigates how plants develop from their genetic blueprint. He studies Arabidopsis thaliana as a model species. He discovered the role stem cells play in the pattern formation and growth of the root. He successfully demonstrated that many mechanisms in plants are closely related to processes in animals.

Scheres also developed a method to kill individual cells within the growing root using a laser and to study how the function of the dead cells was taken over by other cells. Together with the targeted knocking out of certain genes, this provided information about which cells were responsible for which process.

Ben Scheres is a much sought after speaker, not only in the field of plant biology, but also in that of developmental biology in animals. With a relatively small research group he has built up an impressive list of publications within a fairly short time span. The impact of his work is exceptionally large. He is the holder of two patents, both of which are being commercially exploited. His results and illustrative figures are used in several textbooks. As a coordinator or participant, Scheres is involved in a very large number of European projects relevant to his research.

Ben Scheres has an exceptional talent for combining original and creative research with long-term analyses and challenging hypotheses. He is an original thinker with a broad interest, as a result of which he knows how to build bridges between different specialisations. He is outstanding at visualising his ideas and results, placing these in a broader context and conveying these to others. In addition to this he is an inspiring lecturer, speaker and group leader. His staff talk about him with a lot of respect and affection.

It is expected that Scheres will use his NWO/Spinoza Prize to provide young researchers with the space they need to flourish further. Scheres is highly ambitious and his track record is such that his plans are likely to succeed. Many students, Ph.D. students and postdocs will receive the chance to grow with him over the coming years. Ben Scheres is, as one referee succinctly stated, 'an energetic personality with a big future'.

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This jury report served as the basis for the speech given by Prof. Maarten Koornneef at the announcement ceremony for the NWO/Spinoza prizes 2006 on 12 June 2006.