David Mendoza-Cozatl, associate professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology, is the recipient of CAFNR’s 2025 Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award.   

Mendoza-Cozatl is a world-leading expert in plant metal nutrient acquisition and detoxification, with a focus on enhancing food security through biofortification. He has secured nearly $8 million in federal funding and leads numerous collaborative research projects across institutions, including international partnerships in South Africa.  

Mendoza-Cozatl has published 54 peer-reviewed papers, holds an h-index of 29, and is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, such as the NSF CAREER Award, PEW Innovation Fund Investigator and MU International Engagement Award. He co-developed the Bioinformatics in Plant Sciences Program and actively mentors students and postdocs, while also serving as Director of Graduate Studies in the Division. His service includes editorial board memberships, grant review panels and leadership roles in education and diversity programs.  

He has been invited to present his research at the most prestigious international conferences in his field, including the Gordon Research Conference on the Cell Biology of Metals, the International Symposium on Iron Nutrition and Interaction in Plants, the International Conference on Arabidopsis Research, the International Plant Sulfur Workshop and the North American Plant Phenotyping Network.  

“There is no faculty member that I can think of who has done more to elevate the college through collaboration and to promote academic excellence, innovative thinking and leadership than David,” said nominator David Braun, professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology and director of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG).