Assistant Professor Cora MacAlister is a 2016 recipient of the American Society of Plant Biologists Early Career Award. This award recognizes outstanding research by scientists at the beginnings of their careers. It is made for exceptionally creative, independent contributions by an individual generally not more than seven years post-Ph.D. in the year of the presentation. She joined the University of Michigan Departrment of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology in January, 2015. 

Her PhD and post-doctoral training both focused on plant molecular developmental pathways (stomatal development in Arabidopsis and flower number control in tomato) but recent results have directed her focus toward new areas including cell wall proteins and the role of protein glycosylation in plant development.