Fredy Altpeter

Professor Fredy Altpeter coordinates a research program at the University of Florida’s Agronomy Department. He earned his B.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Hogenheim in Germany. From there, Altpeter served as a research group leader at the Plant Genome Research Center and went on to the University of Florida in 2001 to be a professor. He holds several distinguished awards and honors, including a distinguished service award from the Society for In Vitro Biology. He has been published in over 40 studies that have appeared in journals such as Nature Biotechnology and Plant Biotechnology.

Altpeter's research integrates plant breeding, biotechnology and translational genomics for genetic improvement of sugarcane and other crops. He has extensive experience in developing intragenic and transgenic biotechnologies for improving biofuel yields from sugarcane. As part of the PETROSS program, he coordinates the genetic transformation of sugarcane for improving photosynthetic efficiency and energy density.