A biochemist research associate in the biology department at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory has been awarded the Paul K. Stumpf Award.

Jantana Keereetaweep was given the award for her research on plant lipids.

The award, given every two years, recognizes the contributions of a promising early-career scientist in honor of Stumpf, who was a world leader and pioneer in the study of plant lipid biochemistry.

Keereetaweep will receive a cash award and will present her work via videoconference to the international plant lipid research community this summer.

“Dr. Stumpf revolutionized the field of plant lipids. Receiving this award in his name is a great honor, but I believe it is more a reflection of the great work being done at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and especially by our team, headed by Dr. John Shanklin. While we are studying fundamental aspects of plant lipid biosynthesis, our group is also contributing toward the larger effort of developing more efficient means of bioenergy production to address global warming. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Shanklin and all my colleagues at Brookhaven Lab for the opportunity to work with them on this important challenge,” Keereetaweep said.

Keereetaweep has helped to unravel details of the complicated biochemical pathways that control the synthesis of oil in plants. These studies are essential for understanding fundamental processes necessary for plants’ survival, and also lay the foundation for engineering plants to make more oil or lipid-based bioproducts such as fuels and raw materials for industrial processes.