Professor for Plant Biochemical and Molecular Genetics, department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, USA.

Burkhard Schulz is Professor for Plant Biochemical and Molecular Genetics at the department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue University. His research focuses on the molecular analysis of plant architecture using mutational approaches in Arabidopsis (a type of wheat) and maize among other plants.  He received a number of awards from ASPB and The Scientist – Life science magazine - for his work on developing novel digital teaching tools for teaching plant sciences, including ChloroFilms first price, ASPB educational booth and the Science Video of the Future Award 2009.  He served on the editorial board of Plant Biology.  

Professor Schultz spoke at the Gender Summit 3 North America 2013 about how understanding the relationship between natural plant steroids and plant architecture has led to making corn shorter and sturdier which can be beneficial for sustainable corn production, and how this research has produced plants that produce only female kernels where male tassels should be present. This discovery could help the seed industry by producing corn with female organs only and thus eliminate the laborious detasseling step in maize hybrid seed production.