Rich Jorgensen, Professor Emeritus in the School of Plant Sciences at The University of Arizona, has advanced the field of Biology through pioneering research in genetics, epigenetics, and genomics. He earned a BS/MS in Chemistry from Northwestern University, where he transitioned from engineering to molecular biology, and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under William S. Reznikoff, focusing on bacterial promoters. Postdoctoral research at the Carnegie Institution with William F. Thompson introduced plant molecular genetics, followed by population genetics at UC Davis with Robert W. Allard using RFLPs. In 1983, Jorgensen joined Advanced Genetic Sciences, Inc., developing patents for genetic markers in hybrid seed production. Collaborating with Carolyn Napoli, his team discovered co-suppression—foundational to RNA interference—when overexpressing chalcone synthase in petunias, silencing both transgenes and endogenous genes. This was patented in 1989 and published in 1990 as "Introduction of a chimeric chalcone synthase gene into petunia results in reversible co-suppression of homologous genes in trans" in The Plant Cell.

At UC Davis and subsequently the University of Arizona, Jorgensen investigated co-suppression mechanisms, linking them to epigenetic phenomena like paramutation and RNA-directed DNA methylation. Key publications include analysis of the Arabidopsis thaliana genome sequence (Nature, 2000; 11,735 citations), ribosomal DNA spacer-length polymorphisms in barley (1984; 7,543 citations), the Populus trichocarpa genome (Science, 2006; 5,344 citations), and the Chlamydomonas genome (Science, 2007; 3,290 citations). He served as Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell, implementing transparent peer review, editor diversity, and high submission handling. Jorgensen directed the iPlant Collaborative, a $50 million NSF-funded cyberinfrastructure project for plant biology that evolved into CyVerse, and is Editor-in-Chief of Frontiers in Plant Genetics and Genomics. Recognized as an ASPB Pioneer Member, his work has profoundly impacted gene regulation, chromatin biology, and plant genomics.

Professional Email: raj@ag.arizona.edu