Stephen P. Long

Stephen Patrick Long (born 13 August 1950) FRS is a British-born American environmental plant physiologist and member of the National Academy of Sciences studying how to improve photosynthesis to increase the yield of food and biofuel crops. He is the Stanley O. Ikenberry Chair Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois and visiting professor in Plant Sciences at Lancaster University and at Oxford University, UK. His work, published in Science, proved that photosynthesis can be manipulated to increase plant productivity—an idea once considered the holy grail of plant biology. Long has added to our understanding of the long-term impacts of climate change, such as rising levels of carbon dioxide and ozone on plants. He has briefed former president George W. Bush and the Vatican, as well as Bill Gates and Anne, Princess Royal, on food security and bioenergy.