Rate My Professor Christoph Benning

Christoph Benning is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University, where he also holds professorships in Plant Biology, Molecular Plant Sciences Program, and Genetics & Genome Sciences Program. He serves as the MSU Research Foundation Professor and Director of the MSU-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory since 2015. Benning obtained his M.S. degree in 1986 from Albert-Ludwigs Universitaet in Freiburg, Germany, and his Ph.D. in Genetics from Michigan State University in 1991. After completing postdoctoral research at MSU from 1991 to 1993, he was Group Leader at the Institut fuer Genbiologische Forschung Berlin GmbH from 1993 to 1997. He joined MSU as an assistant professor in 1998 and advanced to full professor in 2005.

The research in Benning's laboratory centers on lipid metabolism in photosynthetic organisms such as plants, algae, and bacteria. Particular emphasis is placed on the assembly and maintenance of the photosynthetic membrane, which features unique polar lipids whose roles in photosynthesis under dynamic and stress conditions are examined using lipid mutants of Arabidopsis and Chlamydomonas. The lab investigates lipid precursor synthesis and transport across chloroplast envelope membranes via biochemical, cell biological, and genetic approaches in Arabidopsis. Additional studies address lipid remodeling in response to adverse temperatures or nutrient deprivation and the regulation of cell division and storage lipid accumulation in nutrient-stressed algae, aiming to optimize algae for biofuel production. A landmark contribution is the identification of the WRINKLED1 transcription factor, which regulates fatty acid biosynthesis for oil production in seeds, enabling the engineering of high-oil crops for biofuels and feed. Benning's innovations have earned him recognition as MSU Innovator of the Year in 2018 alongside John Ohlrogge.

Benning has garnered prestigious honors, including election as a Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2025, Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists in 2025, Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors in 2022, Highly Cited Researcher (2019-2021), Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2014, and multiple MSU faculty awards. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Journal.