Food and Agriculture Research Mission at WashU
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Introducing FARM
The Food and Agriculture Research Mission (FARM) at WashU advances interdisciplinary solutions for healthier food and a healthier planet.
By bringing together expertise from academia and the private and public sectors, we aim to create innovative approaches that improve nutrition and health locally, nationally, and globally.
FARM Areas of Impact
Plant Science
Public Health
Our goal is to make WashU a world leader in both research and innovation across plant science, public health, and ag-tech. In doing so, we aspire to make St. Louis the intellectual center of sustainable action around hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity globally.
Why WashU?
WashU has received national recognition for its groundbreaking leadership in plant and microbial sciences. The strength and history of our biology program is well known, with several faculty members elected to the National Academy of Sciences and many others who have gained international distinction for their research.
Our School of Medicine is the second largest recipient of NIH (National Institutes of Health) funding nationwide.
Finally, WashU has launched a new School of Public Health that aims to define the future of the field.
A New School of Public Health
The Next Era of Public Health is Here
The new School of Public Heath at WashU will lead with excellence in interdisciplinary population health science and scholarship, distinction in educational programs, and a deep commitment to local and global impact.
This is a milestone moment, as it marks the university’s first new school in 100 years.
As part of the School of Public Health, FARM will lay the groundwork for research collaboration, connecting the world-leading experts who will generate sustainable action around hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity.
“ Food insecurity has profound effects on health. Our aspiration is to develop innovative, interdisciplinary science that catalyzes population-scale solutions that improve access to healthier food for as many people as possible.”
– Dean Sandro Galea
Why St. Louis?
The future of food and plant science is being created in St. Louis.
Our region boasts state-of-the-art ag-tech infrastructure, top notch talent, and proximity to the farms and food producers in America’s Heartland
All of these factors coalesce to create a city that brims with opportunity waiting to be met.
50% of U.S. agriculture is produced within a 500-mile radius of St. Louis.
1,000+ PhD plant scientists (the highest concentration in the world)
Source: BRDG Park at the Danforth Plant Science Center
700 regional bioscience companies
“ Together, we can accelerate the pace of discovery and innovation, and we can translate those discoveries into scalable solutions for food scarcity, hunger, malnutrition, and planetary health.”
– Chancellor Andrew D. Martin
The Issue of Hunger
Hunger and food insecurity affect over 700 million people globally, making it one of the most urgent societal issues of our time.
Feeding a growing population is increasingly challenging, and production gains alone are not enough. We need to create solutions that provide nutritious, affordable foods while minimizing any adverse health and environmental impacts associated with their production, processing, and distribution.
By drawing expertise from interdisciplinary teams, FARM will develop new ways to approach these challenges — nourishing humanity while protecting the health of our planet.
FARM Inaugural Director
Morven McLean, PhD, MSc
Inaugural Director of FARM
Executive Director of Networks and Innovation
Morven McLean will serve as the inaugural Director of FARM, as well as Executive Director of Networks and Innovation and a Professor of Practice at WashU’s new School of Public Health, launching FARM and leading the discovery and delivery of sustainable solutions that will nourish humanity while protecting the health of our planet. An agricultural scientist with more than 25 years of experience, Morven has dedicated her career to developing and implementing applied agricultural research and capacity building programs that address scientific, regulatory, and trade issues related to agricultural innovation and food security.
Previously, Morven served as the Director of Global Strategy, Regulatory & Public Affairs at Gates Agricultural Innovations (Gates Ag One), a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring high-quality, cutting-edge crop innovations are available and accessible to those who need them most.
Before joining Gates Ag One, Morven was CEO of the non-profit Agriculture & Food Systems Institute. She has worked internationally with governments, non-governmental organizations, and the public and private sectors on issues of policy and regulation pertaining to agricultural, forest, and aquatic biotechnology.
Morven has served as a technical expert on biotechnology risk assessment, regulation, and policy for many organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development, and the United Nations Environment Program, as well as many national governments in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South America.
In addition to serving on the Governing Council of icipe (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology), she is Co-Chair of the Global Steering Council for the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project. She received her BSc (Agriculture) from McGill University, MSc in environmental biology from the University of Guelph, and PhD in molecular plant virology from the University of British Columbia.
FARM Professors
FARM Professors are prestigious faculty who have demonstrated a track record and potential to make great strides in the food and agriculture lifecycle. FARM is honored to name its inaugural Lauren and Lee Fixel Distinguished Professors.
Lora Iannotti
Lauren and Lee Fixel Distinguished Professor
Lora Ianotti is the founder of WashU’s E3 Nutrition Lab, which aims to prevent undernutrition through equitable, sustainable, and culturally appropriate solutions. Her research on maternal nutrition is changing national policies in Ecuador — and has the potential to benefit millions globally.
Feng Jiao
Lauren and Lee Fixel
Distinguished Professor
Feng Jiao is among the world’s most influential scholars, leading innovative research on electrocatalysis and carbon dioxide utilization. His research group is spearheading breakthroughs in sustainability — developing cutting-edge technology to address global issues in energy storage, chemical manufacturing, and food production.
FARM Research Funding
From Research to Real-World Change
FARM will employ a disruptive model for grant funding whereby grants are time-limited with a defined schedule and scope. When FARM grants are received, it will be the investigators’ top priority, with expected metrics towards established outcomes. Strong investment will allow our researchers and interdisciplinary teams to measure success by what really matters: real, tangible outcomes at the human level.
FARM Incubator Fund
The FARM Incubator Fund is specifically designed to fuel collaboration, providing access to seed grants at varying levels for innovative research that crosses disciplinary boundaries.
The Catalyst Award
The Catalyst Award will offer significant financial and institutional investment in existing teams who are advancing late-stage research to scale and impact.
The Transformative Ideas Competition
The Transformative Ideas Competition will open a pipeline of teams contributing to FARM, working at a scale and pace that increases the likelihood for impact.
The Future of FARM
Through FARM, WashU will lead the future of food and plant science research and innovation from right here in St. Louis. Together, positioning our campus – and our city – at the nexus of solving the world’s deepest societal challenges.
