Christoph Benning (born 1960) is a German–American plant biologist. He is an MSU Foundation Professor and University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. Benning's research into lipid metabolism in plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria, led him to be named Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Journal in October 2008.

Christoph Benning
Born1960 (age 63–64)
SpouseSusanne Hoffmann–Benning
Academic background
EducationMSc, 1986, University of Freiburg
PhD, 1991, Michigan State University
ThesisGenetic analysis of the pathway for the biosynthesis of the plant sulfolipid in the purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides (1991)
Academic work
InstitutionsMSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory
Michigan State University

Early life and education

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Benning was born in Soest, Germany, in 1960.[1] He completed his Master of Science degree at the University of Freiburg before moving to North America for his PhD at Michigan State University (MSU).[2] During his time at the University of Freiburg, Benning received a 10-month international travel fellowship from the German Scholarship Foundation.[3]

Career

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Following his PhD, Benning remained in Michigan while his wife Susanne Hoffmann–Benning finished her PhD work with Hans Kende. In 1993, he accepted a leadership position at the Institute for Gene Biology Research in Germany before moving back to MSU as an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1998.[3]

Benning has been working for over 30 years[3] on different aspects of lipid metabolism in photosynthetic organisms.[4] His laboratory at MSU discovered and studies proteins involved in the biosynthesis of polar lipids of the photosynthetic membrane,[5][6][7][8] the exchange of membrane lipid precursors between the endoplasmic reticulum, the chloroplast envelope membranes and the respective contact sites,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] and proteins involved in lipid remodeling as adaption to abiotic stresses.[19][20][21][22][23] Benning’s lab discovered a transcription factor governing the biosynthesis of storage lipids in plant embryos and used it for biotechnological applications.[24][25][26][27][28][29][30] His lab has also applied genomic and genetic approaches to identify key regulatory factors and enzymes required for triacylglycerol biosynthesis, lipid droplet formation and lipid turnover in the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.[31][32][33][34][35][36] He coordinated the sequencing and publication of the first Nannochloropsis oceanica genome and he and his collaborators developed synthetic biology tools for this microalga and explored its biotechnological potential.[37][38][39][40][41][42][43]

Benning's research into lipid metabolism in plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria, led him to be named Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Journal in October 2008.[44] The following year, his research team licensed the technology that could enhance plants’ seed oil content for food and animal feed applications.[45] Using this technology, Benning's laboratory showed that researchers could use an algae gene to engineer a plant that stores lipids or vegetable oil in its leaves.[46] In August 2010, Benning was recognized as "an outstanding scientist who continues to make highly significant contributions to the field of plant lipid research" with the Terry Galliard Award at the International Symposium on Plant Lipids.[47] He was later elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2014[48] and promoted to MSU Foundation Professor in 2015.[49]

As an MSU Foundation Professor, Benning was also appointed director of MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory in August 2015 as the successor to Michael Thomashow.[50] In this role, he received the 2018 MSU Innovator of the Year Award with John Ohlrogge for identifying the WRINKELD1 gene and developing its use to engineer plant oils and lipids.[51] Following the 2018–19 academic year, Benning was promoted to University Distinguished Professor, the highest honor MSU could bestow onto a faculty member.[52] He was later recognized in the 2019 Highly Cited Researchers List compiled by Clarivate Analytics for the first time.[53] He was recognized again in 2021[54] and was also elected a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors.[55] In November 2022, Benning's laboratory received a National Science Foundation grant to examine how the chloroplast reacts to stress responses in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.[56]

References

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  1. ^ The Chloroplast: Basics and Applications. Springer Science & Business Media. July 15, 2010. p. XXX. ISBN 9789048185313. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  2. ^ "Christoph Benning". Michigan State University. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "ASPB Legacy Society Founding Member" (PDF). American Society of Plant Biologists. 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  4. ^ "Directory | College of Natural Science | Michigan State University". directory.natsci.msu.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  5. ^ Yu, Bin; Xu, Changcheng; Benning, Christoph (2002-04-16). "Arabidopsis disrupted in SQD2 encoding sulfolipid synthase is impaired in phosphate-limited growth". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 99 (8): 5732–5737. Bibcode:2002PNAS...99.5732Y. doi:10.1073/pnas.082696499. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 122840. PMID 11960029.
  6. ^ Essigmann, B.; Güler, S.; Narang, R. A.; Linke, D.; Benning, C. (1998-02-17). "Phosphate availability affects the thylakoid lipid composition and the expression of SQD1, a gene required for sulfolipid biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 95 (4): 1950–1955. Bibcode:1998PNAS...95.1950E. doi:10.1073/pnas.95.4.1950. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 19220. PMID 9465123.
  7. ^ Dörmann, P.; Balbo, I.; Benning, C. (1999-06-25). "Arabidopsis galactolipid biosynthesis and lipid trafficking mediated by DGD1". Science. 284 (5423): 2181–2184. doi:10.1126/science.284.5423.2181. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 10381884.
  8. ^ Dörmann, P.; Hoffmann-Benning, S.; Balbo, I.; Benning, C. (November 1995). "Isolation and characterization of an Arabidopsis mutant deficient in the thylakoid lipid digalactosyl diacylglycerol". The Plant Cell. 7 (11): 1801–1810. doi:10.1105/tpc.7.11.1801. ISSN 1040-4651. PMC 161039. PMID 8535135.
  9. ^ Wang, Zhen; Xu, Changcheng; Benning, Christoph (May 2012). "TGD4 involved in endoplasmic reticulum-to-chloroplast lipid trafficking is a phosphatidic acid binding protein". The Plant Journal: For Cell and Molecular Biology. 70 (4): 614–623. doi:10.1111/j.1365-313X.2012.04900.x. ISSN 1365-313X. PMID 22269056.
  10. ^ Roston, Rebecca; Gao, Jinpeng; Xu, Changcheng; Benning, Christoph (June 2011). "Arabidopsis chloroplast lipid transport protein TGD2 disrupts membranes and is part of a large complex". The Plant Journal: For Cell and Molecular Biology. 66 (5): 759–769. doi:10.1111/j.1365-313X.2011.04536.x. ISSN 1365-313X. PMID 21309871.
  11. ^ Xu, Changcheng; Fan, Jilian; Riekhof, Wayne; Froehlich, John E.; Benning, Christoph (2003-05-15). "A permease-like protein involved in ER to thylakoid lipid transfer in Arabidopsis". The EMBO Journal. 22 (10): 2370–2379. doi:10.1093/emboj/cdg234. ISSN 0261-4189. PMC 155992. PMID 12743031.
  12. ^ Lu, Binbin; Xu, Changcheng; Awai, Koichiro; Jones, A. Daniel; Benning, Christoph (2007-12-07). "A small ATPase protein of Arabidopsis, TGD3, involved in chloroplast lipid import". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 282 (49): 35945–35953. doi:10.1074/jbc.M704063200. ISSN 0021-9258. PMID 17938172.
  13. ^ Xu, Changcheng; Fan, Jilian; Froehlich, John E.; Awai, Koichiro; Benning, Christoph (November 2005). "Mutation of the TGD1 chloroplast envelope protein affects phosphatidate metabolism in Arabidopsis". The Plant Cell. 17 (11): 3094–3110. doi:10.1105/tpc.105.035592. ISSN 1040-4651. PMC 1276032. PMID 16199613.
  14. ^ Awai, Koichiro; Xu, Changcheng; Tamot, Banita; Benning, Christoph (2006-07-11). "A phosphatidic acid-binding protein of the chloroplast inner envelope membrane involved in lipid trafficking". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 103 (28): 10817–10822. doi:10.1073/pnas.0602754103. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 1502314. PMID 16818883.
  15. ^ Warakanont, Jaruswan; Tsai, Chia-Hong; Michel, Elena J. S.; Murphy, George R.; Hsueh, Peter Y.; Roston, Rebecca L.; Sears, Barbara B.; Benning, Christoph (December 2015). "Chloroplast lipid transfer processes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii involving a TRIGALACTOSYLDIACYLGLYCEROL 2 (TGD2) orthologue". The Plant Journal: For Cell and Molecular Biology. 84 (5): 1005–1020. doi:10.1111/tpj.13060. ISSN 1365-313X. PMID 26496373.
  16. ^ Lavell, Anastasiya; Smith, Montgomery; Xu, Yang; Froehlich, John E.; De La Mora, Cameron; Benning, Christoph (December 2021). "Proteins associated with the Arabidopsis thaliana plastid rhomboid-like protein RBL10". The Plant Journal: For Cell and Molecular Biology. 108 (5): 1332–1345. doi:10.1111/tpj.15514. ISSN 1365-313X. PMC 9219029. PMID 34582071.
  17. ^ Lavell, Anastasiya; Froehlich, John E.; Baylis, Olivia; Rotondo, Anthony D.; Benning, Christoph (September 2019). "A predicted plastid rhomboid protease affects phosphatidic acid metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana". The Plant Journal: For Cell and Molecular Biology. 99 (5): 978–987. doi:10.1111/tpj.14377. ISSN 1365-313X. PMC 6711814. PMID 31062431.
  18. ^ Hurlock, Anna K.; Wang, Kun; Takeuchi, Tomomi; Horn, Patrick J.; Benning, Christoph (September 2018). "In vivo lipid 'tag and track' approach shows acyl editing of plastid lipids and chloroplast import of phosphatidylglycerol precursors in Arabidopsis thaliana". The Plant Journal: For Cell and Molecular Biology. 95 (6): 1129–1139. doi:10.1111/tpj.13999. ISSN 1365-313X. PMID 29920824. S2CID 49315466.
  19. ^ Moellering, Eric R.; Muthan, Bagyalakshmi; Benning, Christoph (2010-10-08). "Freezing tolerance in plants requires lipid remodeling at the outer chloroplast membrane". Science. 330 (6001): 226–228. Bibcode:2010Sci...330..226M. doi:10.1126/science.1191803. ISSN 1095-9203. PMID 20798281. S2CID 19690115.
  20. ^ Li, Xiaobo; Moellering, Eric R.; Liu, Bensheng; Johnny, Cassandra; Fedewa, Marie; Sears, Barbara B.; Kuo, Min-Hao; Benning, Christoph (November 2012). "A galactoglycerolipid lipase is required for triacylglycerol accumulation and survival following nitrogen deprivation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii". The Plant Cell. 24 (11): 4670–4686. doi:10.1105/tpc.112.105106. ISSN 1532-298X. PMC 3531859. PMID 23161887.
  21. ^ Wang, Kun; Guo, Qiang; Froehlich, John E.; Hersh, Hope Lynn; Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Howe, Gregg A.; Benning, Christoph (May 2018). "Two Abscisic Acid-Responsive Plastid Lipase Genes Involved in Jasmonic Acid Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana". The Plant Cell. 30 (5): 1006–1022. doi:10.1105/tpc.18.00250. ISSN 1532-298X. PMC 6002186. PMID 29666162.
  22. ^ Wang, Kun; Froehlich, John E.; Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Hersh, Hope Lynn; Benning, Christoph (July 2017). "A Plastid Phosphatidylglycerol Lipase Contributes to the Export of Acyl Groups from Plastids for Seed Oil Biosynthesis". The Plant Cell. 29 (7): 1678–1696. doi:10.1105/tpc.17.00397. ISSN 1532-298X. PMC 5559756. PMID 28687655.
  23. ^ Du, Zhi-Yan; Lucker, Ben F.; Zienkiewicz, Krzysztof; Miller, Tarryn E.; Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Sears, Barbara B.; Kramer, David M.; Benning, Christoph (February 2018). "Galactoglycerolipid Lipase PGD1 Is Involved in Thylakoid Membrane Remodeling in Response to Adverse Environmental Conditions in Chlamydomonas". The Plant Cell. 30 (2): 447–465. doi:10.1105/tpc.17.00446. ISSN 1532-298X. PMC 5868692. PMID 29437989.
  24. ^ Focks, N.; Benning, C. (September 1998). "wrinkled1: A novel, low-seed-oil mutant of Arabidopsis with a deficiency in the seed-specific regulation of carbohydrate metabolism". Plant Physiology. 118 (1): 91–101. doi:10.1104/pp.118.1.91. ISSN 0032-0889. PMC 34877. PMID 9733529.
  25. ^ Cernac, Alex; Benning, Christoph (November 2004). "WRINKLED1 encodes an AP2/EREB domain protein involved in the control of storage compound biosynthesis in Arabidopsis". The Plant Journal: For Cell and Molecular Biology. 40 (4): 575–585. doi:10.1111/j.1365-313X.2004.02235.x. ISSN 0960-7412. PMID 15500472.
  26. ^ Cernac, Alex; Andre, Carl; Hoffmann-Benning, Susanne; Benning, Christoph (June 2006). "WRI1 is required for seed germination and seedling establishment". Plant Physiology. 141 (2): 745–757. doi:10.1104/pp.106.079574. ISSN 0032-0889. PMC 1475460. PMID 16632590.
  27. ^ Ruuska, Sari A.; Girke, Thomas; Benning, Christoph; Ohlrogge, John B. (June 2002). "Contrapuntal networks of gene expression during Arabidopsis seed filling". The Plant Cell. 14 (6): 1191–1206. doi:10.1105/tpc.000877. ISSN 1040-4651. PMC 150774. PMID 12084821.
  28. ^ Yang, Yang; Munz, Jacob; Cass, Cynthia; Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Kong, Que; Ma, Wei; Sanjaya; Sedbrook, John; Benning, Christoph (November 2015). "Ectopic Expression of WRINKLED1 Affects Fatty Acid Homeostasis in Brachypodium distachyon Vegetative Tissues". Plant Physiology. 169 (3): 1836–1847. doi:10.1104/pp.15.01236. ISSN 1532-2548. PMC 4634098. PMID 26419778.
  29. ^ Sanjaya, null; Durrett, Timothy P.; Weise, Sean E.; Benning, Christoph (October 2011). "Increasing the energy density of vegetative tissues by diverting carbon from starch to oil biosynthesis in transgenic Arabidopsis". Plant Biotechnology Journal. 9 (8): 874–883. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7652.2011.00599.x. ISSN 1467-7652. PMID 22003502.
  30. ^ Ma, Wei; Kong, Que; Grix, Michael; Mantyla, Jenny J.; Yang, Yang; Benning, Christoph; Ohlrogge, John B. (September 2015). "Deletion of a C-terminal intrinsically disordered region of WRINKLED1 affects its stability and enhances oil accumulation in Arabidopsis". The Plant Journal: For Cell and Molecular Biology. 83 (5): 864–874. doi:10.1111/tpj.12933. ISSN 1365-313X. PMID 26305482.
  31. ^ Moellering, Eric R.; Benning, Christoph (January 2010). "RNA interference silencing of a major lipid droplet protein affects lipid droplet size in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii". Eukaryotic Cell. 9 (1): 97–106. doi:10.1128/EC.00203-09. ISSN 1535-9786. PMC 2805299. PMID 19915074.
  32. ^ Tsai, Chia-Hong; Warakanont, Jaruswan; Takeuchi, Tomomi; Sears, Barb B.; Moellering, Eric R.; Benning, Christoph (2014-11-04). "The protein Compromised Hydrolysis of Triacylglycerols 7 (CHT7) acts as a repressor of cellular quiescence in Chlamydomonas". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 111 (44): 15833–15838. Bibcode:2014PNAS..11115833T. doi:10.1073/pnas.1414567111. ISSN 1091-6490. PMC 4226073. PMID 25313078.
  33. ^ Takeuchi, Tomomi; Lin, Yang-Tsung; Fekaris, Nicholas; Umen, James; Sears, Barbara B.; Benning, Christoph (December 2020). "Modulation of CHT7 Complexes during Light/Dark- and Nitrogen-Mediated Life Cycle Transitions of Chlamydomonas". Plant Physiology. 184 (4): 1762–1774. doi:10.1104/pp.20.00864. ISSN 1532-2548. PMC 7723089. PMID 33004613.
  34. ^ Miller, Rachel; Wu, Guangxi; Deshpande, Rahul R.; Vieler, Astrid; Gärtner, Katrin; Li, Xiaobo; Moellering, Eric R.; Zäuner, Simone; Cornish, Adam J.; Liu, Bensheng; Bullard, Blair; Sears, Barbara B.; Kuo, Min-Hao; Hegg, Eric L.; Shachar-Hill, Yair (December 2010). "Changes in transcript abundance in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii following nitrogen deprivation predict diversion of metabolism". Plant Physiology. 154 (4): 1737–1752. doi:10.1104/pp.110.165159. ISSN 1532-2548. PMC 2996024. PMID 20935180.
  35. ^ Takeuchi, Tomomi; Sears, Barbara B.; Lindeboom, Chase; Lin, Yang-Tsung; Fekaris, Nicholas; Zienkiewicz, Krzysztof; Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Poliner, Eric; Benning, Christoph (April 2020). "Chlamydomonas CHT7 Is Required for an Effective Quiescent State by Regulating Nutrient-Responsive Cell Cycle Gene Expression". The Plant Cell. 32 (4): 1240–1269. doi:10.1105/tpc.19.00628. ISSN 1532-298X. PMC 7145468. PMID 32001503.
  36. ^ Lin, Yang-Tsung; Takeuchi, Tomomi; Youk, Brian; Umen, James; Sears, Barbara B.; Benning, Christoph (2022-03-04). "Chlamydomonas CHT7 is involved in repressing DNA replication and mitotic genes during synchronous growth". G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. 12 (3): jkac023. doi:10.1093/g3journal/jkac023. ISSN 2160-1836. PMC 8895990. PMID 35137070.
  37. ^ Vieler, Astrid; Wu, Guangxi; Tsai, Chia-Hong; Bullard, Blair; Cornish, Adam J.; Harvey, Christopher; Reca, Ida-Barbara; Thornburg, Chelsea; Achawanantakun, Rujira; Buehl, Christopher J.; Campbell, Michael S.; Cavalier, David; Childs, Kevin L.; Clark, Teresa J.; Deshpande, Rahul (2012). "Genome, functional gene annotation, and nuclear transformation of the heterokont oleaginous alga Nannochloropsis oceanica CCMP1779". PLOS Genetics. 8 (11): e1003064. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1003064. ISSN 1553-7404. PMC 3499364. PMID 23166516.
  38. ^ Vieler, Astrid; Brubaker, Shane B.; Vick, Bertrand; Benning, Christoph (April 2012). "A lipid droplet protein of Nannochloropsis with functions partially analogous to plant oleosins". Plant Physiology. 158 (4): 1562–1569. doi:10.1104/pp.111.193029. ISSN 1532-2548. PMC 3320170. PMID 22307965.
  39. ^ Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Zienkiewicz, Krzysztof; Poliner, Eric; Pulman, Jane A.; Du, Zhi-Yan; Stefano, Giovanni; Tsai, Chia-Hong; Horn, Patrick; Feussner, Ivo; Farre, Eva M.; Childs, Kevin L.; Brandizzi, Federica; Benning, Christoph (February 2020). "The Microalga Nannochloropsis during Transition from Quiescence to Autotrophy in Response to Nitrogen Availability". Plant Physiology. 182 (2): 819–839. doi:10.1104/pp.19.00854. ISSN 1532-2548. PMC 6997683. PMID 31740503.
  40. ^ Poliner, Eric; Panchy, Nicholas; Newton, Linsey; Wu, Guangxi; Lapinsky, Andrew; Bullard, Blair; Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Benning, Christoph; Shiu, Shin-Han; Farré, Eva M. (September 2015). "Transcriptional coordination of physiological responses in Nannochloropsis oceanica CCMP1779 under light/dark cycles". The Plant Journal: For Cell and Molecular Biology. 83 (6): 1097–1113. doi:10.1111/tpj.12944. ISSN 1365-313X. PMID 26216534.
  41. ^ Poliner, Eric; Takeuchi, Tomomi; Du, Zhi-Yan; Benning, Christoph; Farré, Eva M. (2018-04-20). "Nontransgenic Marker-Free Gene Disruption by an Episomal CRISPR System in the Oleaginous Microalga, Nannochloropsis oceanica CCMP1779". ACS Synthetic Biology. 7 (4): 962–968. doi:10.1021/acssynbio.7b00362. ISSN 2161-5063. PMC 6616531. PMID 29518315.
  42. ^ Zienkiewicz, Krzysztof; Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Poliner, Eric; Du, Zhi-Yan; Vollheyde, Katharina; Herrfurth, Cornelia; Marmon, Sofia; Farré, Eva M.; Feussner, Ivo; Benning, Christoph (2017). "Nannochloropsis, a rich source of diacylglycerol acyltransferases for engineering of triacylglycerol content in different hosts". Biotechnology for Biofuels. 10: 8. doi:10.1186/s13068-016-0686-8. ISSN 1754-6834. PMC 5210179. PMID 28070221.
  43. ^ Poliner, Eric; Pulman, Jane A.; Zienkiewicz, Krzysztof; Childs, Kevin; Benning, Christoph; Farré, Eva M. (January 2018). "A toolkit for Nannochloropsis oceanica CCMP1779 enables gene stacking and genetic engineering of the eicosapentaenoic acid pathway for enhanced long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid production". Plant Biotechnology Journal. 16 (1): 298–309. doi:10.1111/pbi.12772. ISSN 1467-7652. PMC 5785352. PMID 28605577.
  44. ^ "MSU researcher named editor of international plant research journal". Michigan State University. October 21, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  45. ^ "MSU licenses plant oil enhancement technology to BASF Plant Science". Michigan State University. September 24, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  46. ^ ""Fat Worms" inch scientists toward better biofuel production". Michigan State University. March 15, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  47. ^ "Biochemistry professor receives Galliard Medal". Michigan State University. August 5, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  48. ^ "Three MSU scientists named AAAS Fellows". Michigan State University. November 24, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  49. ^ "MSU awards four elite professorships". Michigan State University. April 6, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  50. ^ "Benning named director of MSU/DOE Plant Research Laboratory". Michigan State University. July 24, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  51. ^ "Christoph Benning wins 2018 MSU Innovator of the Year Award with John Ohlrogge". Michigan State University. April 23, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  52. ^ Houwat, Igor (July 22, 2019). "Christoph Benning is named University Distinguished Professor". Michigan State University. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  53. ^ Houwat, Igor (November 21, 2019). "Three faculty named 2019 Highly Cited Researchers". Michigan State University. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  54. ^ "MSU researchers recognized in '2021 Highly Cited' list". Michigan State University. November 16, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  55. ^ "Christoph Benning elected Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors". Michigan State University. February 11, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  56. ^ Headley, Kara (November 15, 2022). "Benning lab receives NSF grant to bring research into the undergraduate classroom". Michigan State University. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
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Christoph Benning publications indexed by Google Scholar