Marc Libault, professor of plant science and technology, has received CAFNR’s 2026 Distinguished Research Award for his internationally recognized scholarship in plant single cell biology. He was honored during the Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony April 23.   

Libault, who is also a principal investigator in Bond Life Sciences Center, is one of the early pioneers of single cell biology in plant sciences, innovating and developing plant-specific methodologies. 

“Marc is incredibly successful in advancing plant biology,” said nominator David Braun, professor and director of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group. “His research has opened new avenues to understand how individual plant cells function, how they coordinate their activities, and how they interact with microorganisms.” 

Libault also is a leader in the international Plant Cell Atlas community, serving on the steering committee; is co-chairing two 2027 conferences; and serves as an associate editor for Plant Communications. On campus, Libault chairs the CAFNR Policy Committee and the DPST Research Committee. Libault has published many high-profile papers in high-impact journals; his publications have garnered nearly 12,000 total citations. Additionally, he has secured funding totaling more than $13 million, including an NSF-CAREER award.  

“I feel that research at CAFNR/MU gained a significant boost ever since Marc arrived,” said Ron Mittler, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Plant Science and Technology. “To the best of my knowledge, Marc is the only plant researcher at Mizzou working in the field of single cell omics. The arrival of Marc to CAFNR therefore immediately allowed multiple researchers at CAFNR/MU to collaborate with him, obtain grants, and publish papers.”