Mary-Dell Chilton, Ph.D, a longtime North Carolinian and pioneering biochemist and inventor, has died at 87 at her home in Carrboro, according to a post from her son.
Her research helped to shape the field of plant biotechnology through groundbreaking discoveries on how bacteria and plants interact. In the 1970s, she discovered that a soil bacterium transfers DNA into plants, changing long-held assumptions about plant genetics.
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Chilton also created the world's first genetically modified plant in 1982 while leading a research team at Washington University in St. Louis.
She received numerous honors over her career, including the World Food Prize and the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Sciences. Former President Joe Biden awarded Chilton the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2023.
Chilton grew up in Southern Pines, North Carolina, where she was raised by her grandmother, according to her son, Mark Chilton. He wrote that her grandmother modeled independence and entrepreneurship at a time when women faced legal barriers, inspiring Chilton to pursue an ambitious career.
"As my mother told me: 'She never said it, but she showed me by example that women can do things in this world,'" Mark Chilton said in a Facebook post. "My great-grandmother ran her own business and kept her own accounts."
He also said that his mother will be remembered as an avid canoeist, outstanding card player and dog lover.