Facts About The Center

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Scientists at the Danforth Center are engaged in research, which will contribute to feeding the hungry, improving human health, preserving and renewing the environment, and enhancing the St. Louis region and the State of Missouri as world centers for plant science.

The Danforth Center currently employs more than 200 individuals. Of these, 170 are scientists and scientific staff; more than 90 hold PhDs. In recent years, the Danforth Center has been voted one of the “Best Places to Work in Academia” by The Scientist magazine.

International Commitments
The Danforth Center has a strong international presence and commitment. Scientists from more than 20 different countries work at the Danforth Center and the Center has developed collaborations with educational and research institutes in Africa, China and India.

Grant Success
Danforth Center scientists have been increasingly successful at securing research funding from federal as well as private and industry sources. On average, the Danforth Center receives $10 million annually in grants and contract revenue from sources such as the National Science Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Agency for International Development, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Monsanto Fund.

Educational Outreach
Danforth Center scientists are involved in training and inspiring the next generation of scientists, as well as supporting regional science educators. Generous funding secured from the National Science Foundation by Danforth Center Principal Investigators supports a summer internship program for college students. Recent participants have won top honors and special prizes at national and international science fair competitions. Local science educators also have trained in Danforth Center labs and in conjunction with Danforth scientists they have produced online teaching and learning modules for classroom use.

Community Programs
The Danforth Center’s quarterly Conversations program (sponsored by The Boeing Company) features a discussion about timely topics related to plant science with leading scientists led by moderator, Dr. Jim Davis, Professor Emeritus from Washington University. Conversations programs are free and open to the public.

The Donald Danforth Society presents visiting speakers whose interests are relevant to the Center’s mission. Previous speakers in the series have included Davis Guggenheim, the Academy-Award® winning director of the film An Inconvenient Truth; photographer and philanthropist Howard G. Buffett; and ABC News Correspondent Bill Blakemore.