Remembering World Food Prize Laureate Mary-Dell Chilton

On behalf of the World Food Prize Laureates and our Council of Advisors, the World Food Prize Foundation extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Mary-Dell Chilton, 2013 Laureate, who passed away at the age of 87 on June 24, 2026.

"Dr. Chilton was a true pioneer in agriculture, making breakthroughs in biotechnology, a field that she helped to establish," said Mashal Husain, President, World Food Prize Foundation. "Her leadership has inspired countless women and girls to pursue their passions in science and agriculture, and her vision continues to light a path forward."

Chilton was honored as the 2013 World Food Prize Laureate, with co-Laureates Marc Van Montagu and Robert Fraley, for her breakthrough achievement in developing and applying modern agricultural biotechnology to create the first genetically modified crops.

"Millions of farmers all over the world have Dr. Chilton to thank for protecting their crops from disease, pests and climate shocks," said Tom Vilsack, CEO, World Food Prize Foundation. "Her brilliant innovations have revolutionized agriculture. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy continues to guide those who are bringing technology to bear on the great challenges we face in feeding the world."

Chilton developed a love of science from an early age, scoring high in tests and classes for biology, math and chemistry, and was even named as a finalist in the Westinghouse (now Regeneron) Science Talent Search. She was encouraged in her studies by her grandmother, who was an entrepreneur at a time when it was uncommon for women to own a business or study the sciences.

Chilton earned a bachelor's degree and doctorate in chemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and went on to accept a position at the University of Washington in Seattle.

There, Chilton made the breakthrough discovery that the crown gall plant disease was caused by the bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens transferring a small part of its own DNA from the Ti plasmid into the host plant, where it became part of the plant's genome. Years later, as a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, Chilton harnessed the gene-transfer mechanism of Agrobacterium to produce the first transgenic tobacco plant. Her work demonstrated that this mechanism can be used to transfer genes from other organisms into plants, opening the doors to many more opportunities in plant breeding.

Chilton was hired by Ciba-Geigy Corporation (later Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., or SBI) at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina in 1983 and began the next phase of her career, spanning both biotechnology research and administrative roles including Vice President of Agricultural Biotechnology, Distinguished Science Fellow and Principal Scientist. The company credits her with founding Syngenta Biotechnology. Under her leadership, Syngenta became the first company to commercialize a biotech trait in corn.

Over the next three decades, she established one of the world's first industrial agricultural biotechnology programs, leading applied research in areas such as disease and insect resistance, as well as continuing to improve transformation systems in crop plants.

Chilton's pioneering work contributed to the emergence of a new term, "agricultural biotechnology," and set the stage for engineering crops with novel traits that improved yields and conferred resistance to insects and disease, as well as tolerance to adverse environmental conditions.

"As the subject of agricultural biotechnology is added to the 10,000-year history of human agriculture, Dr. Mary Dell Chilton will have a prominent place at the intersection of the Green Revolution and the Gene Revolution," said Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, President Emeritus, World Food Prize Foundation. "Her pioneering research in molecular biology at Washington University in St. Louis led to her team developing a gene transfer mechanism that could both enhance disease resistance in and increase yields of transgenic plants. At the time she received the World Food Prize in 2013, over 15 million smallholder farmers in developing countries were increasing their incomes by cultivating biotech crops, thereby lifting over 50 million family members out of poverty. Mary Dell Chilton truly exemplified the Dr. Norman Borlaug's favorite quote that 'Science is the multiplier of the Harvest.'"

Chilton was recognized with the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Sciences and the Crop Science Society of America Presidential Award. She was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences and the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and in 2023 she was presented with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Joe Biden. She retired in 2018 from Syngenta, where her legacy continues through the Syngenta Seeds' R&D program.

The World Food Prize Foundation will miss Chilton's presence and honor her life and legacy during the 40th annual Laureate Award Ceremony on October 22, 2026.