Scott Poethig is the Paul Williams Family Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Poethig did Ph.D. research in plant development in the laboratory of Ian Sussex at Yale University. He performed post-doctoral work on leaf morphogenesis with Paul Green at Stanford University and was trained in corn genetics by Ed Coe, Jr. at the University of Missouri. Dr. Poethig is the recipient of the Nicholas Prize from Yale University, the Pelton Award from the Botanical Society of America, and is a fellow of the AAAS.

Dr. Poethig has worked on a variety of problems in shoot morphogenesis in plants. He performed pioneering cell lineage analyses of leaf and shoot development in a number of species and, along with Kathy Barton, was involved in the identification of the SHOOTMERISTEMLESS gene in Arabidopsis. His current research interest is the temporal control of shoot development. Genetic analysis of the juvenile-to-adult transition in Arabidopsis has revealed that many genes involved in this transition are responsible for the biogenesis or function of miRNAs and endogenous siRNAs. This observation led to the discovery of trans-acting siRNAs, and to his current studies on the biogenesis and function of this novel class of endogenous siRNAs.