Carnegie's Exposito-Alonso selected for Forbes’ “Under 30” list

Washington, DC— Carnegie evolutionary geneticist Moises Exposito-Alonso was named a member of the 2020 class of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe list in science and healthcare. 

He was recognized for his lab’s pioneering use of genomic techniques to understand how plant species will evolve and keep pace with a changing climate. 

Out of the thousands of nominees, the 30 finalists in each of the 10 categories comprise “the world’s most impactful community of young entrepreneurs and game-changers,” said the publication in announcing his selection.  

“Growing up in southern Spain, I saw how Mediterranean forests may be transformed by climate change into arid deserts,” said Exposito-Alonso. “My childhood desire to halt this destructive trend manifested in a career pursuing the answers to fundamental questions about genetics, ecology, and evolution, which I believe are key to solving the global biodiversity crisis.”

Today, he leads a team at Carnegie that conducts large-scale ecological and genome sequencing experiments to generate maps of a species’ genomic susceptibility to climate change that may guide policymakers and management efforts in how to respond to this global challenge.   

 Exposito-Alonso joined Carnegie last September as a staff associate—a prestigious position designed for early career scientists who are ready to independently deploy creative approaches to challenging research projects—and as an assistant professor by courtesy at Stanford University, 

“Moi is a paragon of the bold, new ideas that early career scientists bring to our institution,” said Zhiyong Wang, Acting Director of Carnegie’s Department of Plant Biology. “His inclusion on the Forbes Under 30 list demonstrates that he is a trendsetter who is defining new fields of discovery, in the Carnegie tradition.”

“Moi’s work is so exciting because it bridges fundamental science and global impact,” said Tim Stearns, Chair of Stanford’s Biology Department and Frank Lee and Carol Hall Professor. “This recognition by Forbes acknowledges that he is making a difference.”