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Jonathan Gressel

Jonathan Gressel is an Israeli agricultural scientist and professor emeritus at the Weizmann Institute of Science, known for his research on herbicide resistance in weeds.

born 1936Herbicide resistance modelingCo-founding TransAlgae2010 Israel Prize in agriculture

Born: 30 October 1936, Cleveland
Occupation: agronomist, researcher, botanist
Education: University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Jonathan Gressel was born in 1936 in Cleveland

Jonathan Gressel was born on October 30, 1936, in Cleveland, Ohio. He moved to Israel with his family in 1950.

He finished high school at the agricultural school in Pardes Hanna in 1955. He then returned to the United States and earned a bachelor's degree in plant sciences at Ohio State University. At the University of Wisconsin he received a master's degree in botany in 1957 and a Ph.D. in 1962.

In 1962 he joined the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, first in biochemistry and from 1963 in plant genetics. With Lee Segel he built the first simulation model of how herbicide resistance develops in weeds. He also studied weed control for farmers in developing countries and edited scientific journals such as Plant Science.

He led the International Weed Science Society from 1997 to 1999. In 2008 he co-founded the company TransAlgae, where he served as chief scientist. He became professor emeritus in 2005 and received the Israel Prize for agricultural research in 2010.