Person Details

BIC People

Alan McHughen

Cooperative Extension Plant Biotechnologist

Mailing Address:

Botany and Plant Sciences
Batchelor Hall /3110
University of California
Riverside, CA 92521

Phone: (951) 827-7532
Fax: (951) 827-5717
Email: alan.mchughen@ucr.edu

Degree(s):

PhD 1979 Oxford University
BSc 1976 Dalhousie University

College/Division Affiliation:

College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Center/Inst Affiliations:

Biotechnology Impacts Center

Areas Of Expertise:

Use of Biotechnology for Improved Crop Production and Environmentally Sustainable Cropping Systems; Biotechnology Product Analysis for Effects on Environment and Health

Awards / Honors:

2006 Certificate of Merit, USDA
2002 Fellow, American College of Nutrition

Research Summary:

Alan McHughen is a public sector educator, scientist and consumer advocate. After earning his doctorate at Oxford University and working at Yale University, Dr McHughen spent twenty years as Professor and Senior Research Scientist at the University of Saskatchewan before joining the University of California, Riverside. A molecular geneticist with an interest in crop improvement, he has helped develop Canada's regulations covering the environmental release of plants with novel traits and US regulations governing transgenic plants. He served on recent OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) panels investigating the health effects of genetically modified foods. Having developed internationally approved commercial crop varieties using both conventional breeding and genetic engineering techniques, he has first hand experience with issues from both sides of the regulatory process, covering both recombinant DNA and conventional breeding technologies. He also served on the Canadian national expert committee on variety registration (including several years on the executive panel as Secretary of the Oilseeds Subcommittee). As an educator and consumer advocate, he helps non-scientists understand the environmental and health impacts of both modern and traditional methods of food production. His award winning book, 'Pandora's Picnic Basket; The Potential and Hazards of Genetically Modified Foods' (Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-850674-0), uses understandable, consumer-friendly language to explode the myths and explore the genuine risks of genetic modification (GM) technology.

Selected Publications:

List of publications from HubMed

Lab Personnel: +

Tang, Jihong: Postdoctoral Researcher — Genetic transformation of tomato