Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton is a Recipient of a LAS Alumni Achievement Award

Alumnus, Mary-Dell Chilton, a genetic scientist, is a recipient of this year's University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award. She is founding director and vice president of Syngenta, a global biotech giant.

Dr. Chilton received her PhD with Professor Lowell Hager, in 1967. During her years at Syngenta, Chilton has carried on the tradition of scientific mentorship that she learned at Illinois. Now 77, Chilton continues to work daily in her laboratory at Syngenta, focused on perfecting the precision with which scientist can manipulate plant DNA.

Excerpted from UIUC Alumni article by Steve Hendershot