Luis Herrera-Estrella

Luis Herrera-Estrella, (born June 21, 1956) is a Mexican geneticist and director of the Plant Biotechnology Unit at the Centre for Research and Advanced Studies, in Irapuato, Mexico.

Academic background

Herrera-Estrella graduated with a B.Sc. degree in biochemical engineering from the Mexican National Polytechnic Institute and received a Ph.D. in plant molecular biology from the State University of Ghent, Belgium, where he also conducted postgraduate research.

He has made pioneering contributions in the development of genetically engineered plants, and the study of gene expression in them.

Achievements

* 1984: The Minoru and Ethel Tsutsui Distinguished Graduate Research Award in Science from the New York Academy of Sciences.
* 1987: The Javed Husain Award from UNESCO,
* 1989: The Scientific Research Prize in Natural Sciences from the Mexican National Academy of Sciences,
* 1994: The 1994 Award in Biology from the Third World Academy of Sciences,
* 1998: The RedBio Medal from the Latin American Biotechnology Network,
* 2000: The WIPO Medal from the World Intellectual Property Organization,
* 2002: The National Award in Science, (the highest recognition given to scientists by the Mexican government).

In 2003, he was elected to the Mexican Academy of Sciences and to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences as a Foreign Associate. He has paid special attention to transgenic plants for tropical regions, developing and transferring them to the small farmer. A much cited author, he is a Fellow of the "Academia Ciencias Mexico", a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Science, and has also won the 1993 TWAS and 1989 UNESCO Natural Sciences Prizes.