Dr. Neal Stewart

Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, UTK-UTIA

Dr. Stewart holds the Ivan Racheff Chair of Excellence in Plant Molecular Genetics. After completing a Doctorate of Biology in Plant Physiology at Virginia Tech, Stewart joined Professor Wayne Parrott’s laboratory at the University of Georgia as a postdoctoral researcher from 1993–1995. He then moved to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where Stewart was an assistant and then associate professor in the Department of Biology from 1995–2002. In 2002, Stewart assumed the Racheff Chair with an appointment as professor. Dr. Stewart serves as co-director of the Center for Agricultural Synthetic Biology, which he co-founded in 2018. The Stewart Lab’s research spans plant biotechnology, synthetic biology, genomics, and ecology.​ Stewart has authored or co-authored over 310 journal articles, many book chapters, and nine books. He is co-editor in chief for Plant Cell Reports and is an associate editor for the Plant Biotechnology Journal. Stewart was elected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow in 2015, a Society for In Vitro Biology fellow in 2019, and from 2014–2016, served on the National Academies committee responsible for publishing “Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects” in 2016. Stewart’s research has been supported by various granting agencies including the DARPA, DOE, NSF, USDA, and industry sources. Of the approximately $40 million awarded over the past 25 years in grants and contracts, 5% has had industry ties. Stewart teaches courses in biotechnology and research ethics. He has mentored over 100 graduate and postdoctoral students and technical staff, most of whom are still in science. Stewart has given scientific and lay presentations around the US and in 16 countries.