Stephen Long
United Kingdom | Photosynthetic Efficiency
Stephen Long is a world-renowned plant scientist whose groundbreaking research in photosynthesis and crop resilience has positioned him at the forefront of global agri-food innovation. A leading advocate for sustainable food security, he directs the $70 million Gates Foundation-funded RIPE (Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency) project, which engineers crops like soybean to photosynthesize more efficiently—boosting yields and water-use efficiency for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. His landmark Science publications in 2016 and 2022 demonstrated, for the first time, that photosynthetic improvements can translate into substantial field gains for food crops. Long also founded the SoyFACE facility, the world’s longest-running open-air experiment assessing climate change impacts on crops. With over 50 years of research, he is a Corresponding Member of the Australian Society of Plant Scientists, a member of the Royal Society’s Earth Sciences Committee, and advisor to the U.S. National Academies. His visionary science offers real solutions for a climate-resilient, food-secure future.