Josh Widhalm appointed director of Purdue Center for Plant Biology

Josh Widhalm, associate professor of horticulture and landscape architecture (HLA), has been appointed and assumed the responsibilities of director of Purdue University’s Center for Plant Biology (CPB). Widhalm’s roles will include enhancing CPB's community-building activities, fostering collaboration to enable more interdisciplinary grant submissions and increasing the center's and its members' visibility.

The CPB, an interdepartmental alliance of faculty and trainees interested in basic plant biology research, is committed to enhancing graduate and postdoctoral training in plant sciences. Widhalm succeeds Natalia Dudareva, a Distinguished Professor in Biochemistry and HLA, who returns to her highly successful research program and will remain an active CPB member.  

Under the leadership of Dudareva, the Center for Plant Biology flourished as a hub for excellence in basic plant biology research and training. Her five-year tenure was marked by a steadfast commitment to advancing scientific discovery, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and mentoring the next generation of plant scientists. She elevated CPB’s visibility and impact, positioning Purdue as a leader in plant sciences.

Ron Turco, associate dean of agricultural research and graduate education, praised Dudareva’s many contributions. “Her legacy is one of integrity, innovation and inspiration.”

Widhalm joined the faculty at Purdue in 2016 and has an established research program in plant metabolic biochemistry. His research aims to provide a clearer understanding of the biosynthesis, regulation, and functions of metabolites that impact the biology of plants and their interactions with other organisms. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals, including Science and Nature Plants. Since 2020, he has served as an associate editor at Horticulture Research, the top-ranked journal in horticulture and a top 10 journal in all of plant biology. He has also received several honors, including being named a 2023 University Faculty Scholar, a Showalter Research Trust award, and was nationally recognized as a Scialog Fellow for Chemical Machinery of the Cell sponsored by Research Corporation for Science Advancement and The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Widhalm is the Purdue lead of the Flora-Sense team currently supported by DARPA’s eX Virentia program to uncover internal biochemical responses of plants to chemical exposures, and how they relate to external observable characteristics

For the last two years, Widhalm has worked alongside Dudareva as CPB’s deputy director. He participated in leadership training through the Purdue Insights Forum and was a fellow of the 19th class of LEAD 21, a national program geared at leadership development for current and aspiring leaders in the land grant system.

“I am truly excited about this opportunity,” Widhalm said. “When I joined the faculty a decade ago, Purdue Moves was just happening. In addition to the 10 hires planned through Plant Sciences 1.0, there were another five or six of us who joined through other searches. Here we are 10 years later with a very strong cohort of mid-career faculty doing great science. We also added several other fantastic new faculty along the way. Purdue has historically been known as a leader in basic plant biology. I think the investments made in the CPB position us to remain so for a long time. My job is to make sure the momentum continues. I look forward to serving my colleagues.”

 “Josh is an excellent researcher, teacher, and mentor,” said Associate Dean Turco. “As associate director, he has played a key role in strengthening the CPB graduate education program and has provided leadership for several significant proposal initiatives.  I’m delighted to welcome him as the new director and look forward to the ideas he’ll bring to the center.”

The CPB was established in 2016 as part of the Purdue Moves initiative to invest in plant sciences research and education. The center has over 30 faculty members from eight departments in the Colleges of Agriculture and Science and the School of Chemical Engineering. The center’s research focuses on advancing fundamental understanding of plant biology, spanning scales from molecules all the way up to ecosystems. The center also offers seminars, workshops, symposia, and outreach activities to enhance the academic and professional development of plant biology students and researchers.