Russell L. Jones

Russell Lewis Jones is a Welsh botanist who researches plant communication molecules, particularly those that regulate the activity of seeds. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1972. From 1993 to 1994 he was the president of the American Society of Plant Physiologists. He was the editor of the Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology (later the Annual Review of Plant Biology) from 1994–2001.

Early life and education Russell Lewis Jones was born in Dyserth in rural Wales. Unsatisfied with his high school, which did not offer courses in zoology or botany, he began attending college at the age of sixteen. He then attended the University of Wales, Aberystwyth for his bachelor's degree and PhD. For his doctoral research under Irving David James Phillips, he researched gibberellins, which are plant hormones.

Career Upon finishing his PhD, he conducted postdoctoral research at Michigan State University's Plant Research Laboratory. At Michigan State he worked with Anton Lang and Joe Varner. He then joined the botany department at the University of California, Berkeley in 1966 as an assistant professor. Jones researched how plants process environmental cues, including via hormones and other signalling molecules. In particular, he focused on the regulation of dormancy and germination in seeds. and a managing editor of Planta from 1991–2001. He also served on the advisory board of Aberystwyth. From 1993–1994 he was the president of the American Society of Plant Physiologists (now the American Society of Plant Biologists). In 2010 he won the Berkeley Citation Award for his service to the university. He speaks English and Welsh.