First William T. Kemper Fellowship Awarded
ST. LOUIS, MO – January 15, 2025– The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced the establishment of a new William T. Kemper Fellowship to support outstanding PhD students whose research demonstrates great promise for advancing plant science. The fellowship was endowed by the Kemper Foundation.
“We're delighted to work with our long-time partners at the Danforth Center in expanding their research to find solutions for major environmental issues such as phosphate pollution of our wetlands and river systems,” said David Kemper, executive chairman, Commerce Bancshares, Inc.
Olivia Gomez, a fifth-year PhD student in the Plant and Microbial Biosciences program at Washington University in St. Louis has been named the inaugural William T. Kemper Plant Science Fellow. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Botany/Plant Biology at Cornell University. At the Danforth Center, Gomez works in the laboratory of James Umen PhD, and her thesis focuses on explaining phosphate storage in algae.
Phosphate is a major component in agricultural fertilizer. Yet a significant portion of phosphate fertilizer is not absorbed by crops and instead pollutes nearby aquatic environments, which can cause toxic algal blooms. Additionally, current estimates predict that known phosphate deposits will be depleted within 80 years. Increased food demand, agricultural phosphate waste, and dwindling inorganic phosphate resources urgently call for innovative phosphate management strategies. Gomez’ work will help shed light on this challenge. Understanding how plants and green algae accumulate excess phosphate is the first step to the development of crops that store phosphate more efficiently and to strategies for mitigating environmental impacts of phosphate runoff.
“We’re excited that the Kemper Foundation has enabled this new award for a talented Danforth Center graduate student,” said Danforth Center President and CEO James Carrington, PhD. “Olivia has achieved so much already, and this award will facilitate her development as an exceptional scientist.”
Gomez attributes her interest in plants to her childhood. “I moved seven times between three countries, and I noticed plants have different adaptations in different places,” she said. In 2019 she participated in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) summer internship, and spent 11 weeks working in the laboratory of Rebecca Bart, PhD at the Danforth Center. This experience inspired her to pursue a career in plant science. “The REU internship prompted me to apply to Washington University in St. Louis,” Gomez said. “Then I did four rotations in my first year. Three on campus and the fourth in the Umen Laboratory.”
Through her work, Gomez hopes to improve global food security by improving crop resilience to disease and environmental stresses.
About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research, education, and outreach aim to have an impact at the nexus of food security and the environment and position the St. Louis region as a world center for plant science. The Center’s work is funded through competitive grants from many sources, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and through the generosity of individual, corporate, and foundation donors. Follow us on Twitter at @DanforthCenter.
Media contact: Karla Roeber, VP Public and Government Affairs, kroeber@danforthcenter.org