Thompson Receives 2026 M. Rhoades Early-Career Award
Michigan State University Plant Resilience Institute faculty member Addie Thompson has been named the recipient of the 2026 M. Rhoades Early-Career Award from the Maize Genetics Cooperation, recognizing outstanding early-career contributions to maize genetics research.
Thompson accepted the award at the 68th Annual Maize Genetics Meeting in Cologne, Germany, where researchers from around the world gathered to share advances in maize genetics and genomics. The MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) World Agriculture Center and Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences sponsored Thompson’s travel to attend the awards ceremony.
“I’m honored to receive this award from the maize genetics community and thankful to CANR for supporting my trip to Germany,” Thompson said. “The Maize Genetics Meeting has been an important place for collaboration and idea-sharing throughout my career, and I’m grateful to work alongside colleagues addressing such critical questions in maize science.”
Named after pioneering maize geneticist Marcus M. Rhoades, the award highlights early-career researchers who are shaping the future of maize research through innovation and leadership in the field.
Thompson is an associate professor in the MSU Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences and the Plant Resilience Institute, where her lab is distinguished by its interdisciplinary approach to maize research, actively collaborating with industry partners and bridging fundamental plant science, plant breeding, and computational analysis.
In addition to her research, Thompson is dedicated to training the next generation of plant scientists through her mentorship and outreach initiatives at MSU and beyond, including organizing the recent MSU-Bayer Hackathon.
This award from the Maize Genetics Cooperation adds to Thompson’s growing list of honors, which include the North American Plant Phenotyping Network Early Career Scientist Award and recognition as an Emerging Leader in Plant Sciences by the University of Minnesota.
