Harry Smith, the founder of Molecular Ecology, has died


We’ve received word that Harry Smith, the founder of Molecular Ecology, passed away yesterday.
Smith had a prolific and well-regarded career studying the molecular basis of plants’ responses to their environments. In particular, he helped to demonstrate how plants perceive the color, and thereby the quality, of light, and adjust their growth in response. In addition to editing Molecular Ecology from its 1992 launch through 2008, Smith was founding editor of the journals Plant, Cell & Environment and Global Change Biology. On his departure from the editorship, he was awarded the 2008 Molecular Ecology prize, and profiled in the journal by Peter Quail, who wrote:

… Harry Smith is a scholar, mentor, internationally renowned researcher, eloquent speaker and author, pioneering journal editor and highly valued colleague who has contributed greatly in multiple ways to plant science and the community.

Our thoughts are with Smith’s friends and family.

About Jeremy Yoder

Jeremy B. Yoder is an Associate Professor of Biology at California State University Northridge, studying the evolution and coevolution of interacting species, especially mutualists. He is a collaborator with the Joshua Tree Genome Project and the Queer in STEM study of LGBTQ experiences in scientific careers. He has written for the website of Scientific American, the LA Review of Books, the Chronicle of Higher Education, The Awl, and Slate.
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