Projects per year
Personal profile
Professional Information
Dr. Dan Voytas is a Professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development and the Director of the Center for Precision Plant Genomics at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Voytas graduated from Harvard College in 1984 and received his Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1990. He conducted postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he was a fellow of the Life Science Research Foundation. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota, Dr. Voytas was a professor at Iowa State University (1992-2008). Dr. Voytas is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Specializing in molecular biology and genetics, Dr. Voytas’ research focuses on genome modification using nucleases that recognize specific DNA sequences. In 2005, he co-founded the Zinc Finger Consortium, a group of academic scientists focused on creating open-source platforms for engineering zinc finger nucleases for targeted mutagenesis. More recently, his laboratory developed a superior class of sequence-specific nucleases – Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs) – which was heralded by Science magazine as one of the top ten scientific breakthroughs of 2012. Dr. Voytas’ lab is currently optimizing methods for efficiently making targeted genome modifications in a variety of plant species to advance basic biology and develop new crop varieties.
In addition to his position at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Voytas advises agricultural biotechnology companies on the use of new methods of genome engineering for crop improvement and serves as the Chair of the Science Advisory Board for Calyxt.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
External Positions
Chair of the Science Advisory Board, Calyxt
Research Interest Keywords
- Genetics
- Molecular biology
- TALENs
- CRISPR/Cas9
- Zinc Finger Consortium
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Transient manipulation of plant phenotypes
Voytas, D. F. (PI) & Starker, C. (CoI)
USDOD DEFENSE ADV RES PROJECTS
7/18/24 → 1/17/26
Project: Research project
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Developing C4 intermediates in rice through genome editing
Voytas, D. F. (PI)
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION
10/1/23 → 9/30/28
Project: Research project
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PlantSynBio:Construction of a plant chassis as a platform for biological discoveries and innovations
Voytas, D. F. (PI)
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
7/15/23 → 5/31/26
Project: Research project
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Integrated engineering of whole plant water use efficiency in Sorghum and Setaria
Voytas, D. F. (PI)
DONALD DANFORTH PLANT SCIENCE CENTER, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (USDOE)
9/1/22 → 8/31/27
Project: Research project
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2Blades corn mycotoxin mitigation initiative
Voytas, D. F. (PI)
6/30/22 → 11/30/25
Project: Research project
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Optimization of multiplexed CRISPR/Cas9 system for highly efficient genome editing in Setaria viridis
Weiss, T., Wang, C., Kang, X., Zhao, H., Elena Gamo, M., Starker, C. G., Crisp, P. A., Zhou, P., Springer, N. M., Voytas, D. F. & Zhang, F., Nov 1 2020, In: Plant Journal. 104, 3, p. 828-838 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access47 Scopus citations -
Multiplexed heritable gene editing using RNA viruses and mobile single guide RNAs
Ellison, E. E., Nagalakshmi, U., Gamo, M. E., Huang, P. J., Dinesh-Kumar, S. & Voytas, D. F., Jun 1 2020, In: Nature plants. 6, 6, p. 620-624 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
223 Scopus citations -
Building customizable auto-luminescent luciferase-based reporters in plants
Khakhar, A., Starker, C. G., Chamness, J. C., Lee, N., Stokke, S., Wang, C., Swanson, R., Rizvi, F., Imaizumi, T. & Voytas, D. F., Mar 25 2020, In: eLife. 9, e52786.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access52 Scopus citations -
Plant gene editing through de novo induction of meristems
Maher, M. F., Nasti, R. A., Vollbrecht, M., Starker, C. G., Clark, M. D. & Voytas, D. F., Jan 1 2020, In: Nature biotechnology. 38, 1, p. 84-89 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access353 Scopus citations -
Overcoming bottlenecks in plant gene editing
Atkins, P. A. & Voytas, D. F., Apr 2020, In: Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 54, p. 79-84 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
81 Scopus citations
Press/Media
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'Genetic scissors' of CRISPR in the spotlight
11/9/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
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Gene-editing research by Calyxt executive at University of Minnesota for a time lacked proper oversight
9/23/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
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Calyxt foresees a decade of gene-editing innovation in crops
8/21/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
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HI’s new chief of staff looking to help build the Institute to even loftier heights
Fedie, E., Bode, A. M., Seabloom, D. E., Voytas, D. F. & Largaespada, D. A.
7/15/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
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