Dirk Inzé is a global leader in plant biology. His research ambition is to obtain a holistic understanding of the molecular networks regulating plant organ growth and crop productivity. His team has discovered in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana as well as maize numerous genes that when modified enhance plant organ growth and yield. His work has opened up new perspectives for providing food security for the growing world population in a changing climate. 
 

Dirk Inzé received his PhD at Ghent in 1984. In 1990, he was appointed Research Director of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), where he initiated highly successful research programs on the plant cell cycle and growth control. In 1995, he became Professor at Ghent University and he was the scientific founder of the biotechnology company CropDesign, which was established in 1998 and acquired in 2006 by BASF. From 2002 to 2023, Dirk was the Director of the Center for Plant Systems Biology of the biotechnology institute VIB. Under his directorship, the Center – currently employing approximately 300 individuals – became one of the world leading centers for advanced plant sciences. Dirk’s research was recognized by numerous awards and he is a member of several science advisory boards. He currently owns, for the second time, an advanced ERC grant on a highly innovative project that combines multiplex gene editing and plant breeding (known as BREEDIT) . In 2017, Dirk was awarded with the prestigious World Agriculture Prize. In 2020 he was elected to be a member of Academia Europaea. In 2021, Dirk was appointed member of the Science Council of the ERC and is member of the ERC steering committee. He is the chairperson of EU-SAGE, a consortium of 158 European plant research institutes advocating for the use of Gene Editing for a sustainable agriculture (www.eu-sage.com).