Jennifer Morrell-Falvey, a senior staff scientist at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science , or AAAS, one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals.
Morrell-Falvey is a group leader for Molecular and Cellular Imaging in the ORNL Biosciences Division. She was recognized by AAAS for distinguished contributions to the field of molecular and cellular imaging, particularly for advancing the understanding of plant-microbe interactions.
“We are incredibly proud of Jennifer’s election as AAAS fellow,” said ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer. “This well-earned recognition reflects the significant impact of Jennifer’s work and reinforces ORNL’s commitment to fostering excellence, innovation and scientific leadership.”
AAAS fellows are a distinguished cadre of scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their achievements across disciplines ranging from research, teaching and technology, to administration in academia, industry and government, to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public. The AAAS fellows program welcomed 449 total scientists and engineers to its latest class.
Morrell-Falvey uses microscopy, microbiology, molecular genetics and engineered experimental platforms to study biological systems across scales, with an emphasis on microbial biofilms and plant–microbe relationships in the root soil environment that influence plant and ecosystem health. Morrell-Falvey’s research for the DOE Plant-Microbe Interfaces Science Focus Area focuses on understanding the genetic and mechanistic basis of plant-microbiome interactions and how these interactions give rise to emergent traits across biological scales.
She is also engaged in projects focused on quantum sensing of critical minerals and materials and quantum approaches to optical imaging of microbes.
As an ORNL group leader and with a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Tennessee, Morrell-Falvey leads and contributes to interdisciplinary research efforts supporting DOE mission priorities and is actively engaged in graduate education, mentoring and institutional service. She has mentored postdoctoral researchers, graduate students and undergraduates across multiple research programs at ORNL and UT.
Morrell-Falvey holds a doctorate in genetics from Purdue University and performed her postdoctoral training in cell biology at Vanderbilt School of Medicine. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science . —Stephanie Seay