Jiří Friml - Biography#

Jiří Friml obtained his PhD in Biology from the University of Cologne in 2000 and in 2002 he was also awarded a PhD in Biochemistry from Masaryk University in Brno. In his doctoral studies, he was already providing crucial insight into the mechanisms of transport and distribution of the phytohormone auxin and its role in plant development. In 2006, Jiří Friml became a professor and head of the Institute of Plant Cell Biology in Göttingen. From 2007 till 2012 he was Professor for Plant Systems Biology at the University of Ghent, where he led his research group. Since 2012 he has held the position of Professor at the Institute for Science and Technology (IST), Austria. His research focuses on the role of plant hormones, in particularly auxin and its role in plant development and adaptation. He also pioneered genetic and mechanistic studies on cell polarity and endocytosis in plants. Jiří Friml published over 350 research publications; many of them in the top journals. He is one of the most frequently cited plant scientists worldwide and received numerous national and international awards.