Thomas Leustek, professor of plant biology, will retire next semester after more than forty years at Rutgers University, including a bachelor’s and doctorate in 1981 and 1987, respectively, followed by decades of research, instruction, and administration.
After completing his Ph.D. Leustek went on to perform postdoctoral research at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology’s biochemistry department, manipulating plant DNA amid a wave of biotechnological innovations. It was at that time that New Jersey passed a bond act that created the Center for Agricultural Biotechnology, at Cook College, which would later become the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
Leustek started at the nascent research center in 1991, studying plants’ response to heat shock – the kind of stress environment consequential to the future of agriculture. He then branched off to research sulfur assimilation and biosynthesis of cysteine and methionine.
“Many crop plans are deficient in methionine, a required nutrient for animals that plants are able to synthesize. The goal was to understand how amino acids in crop plants are made and how synthesis is regulated,” said Leustek. “Can we devise ways to manipulate them?”
Leustek found that he could, in fact, manipulate those amino acids using post-genomic tools, and that groundbreaking research funded his lab for years to come. He later developed a penchant for teaching and eventually administration, serving as director of the plant biology graduate program and dean of academic programs at SEBS. Leustek’s contributions to his field of research has helped advanced humanity’s ability to create food that is more nutritious and resilient, and he’s mentored and educated countless students along the way.
Gratitude with hindsight
“I was at the right place at the right time. That Rutgers created such a biotechnology center, I thought this is a forward-looking university, seeking to establish themselves in this exciting new area,” said Leustek. “Over the years, I’ve been fantastically supported by Rutgers. I’ve been supported in every endeavor that I’ve worked on. I’m quite happy with the way it worked out.”
Now, Leustek says he’s passing the torch in a “golden era” of plant science research, as rapid technological innovations in genomics are enabling new discoveries. Technology on its own won’t carry research, said Leustek. His advice to the next generation of researchers:
“You need the joy of discovery, of learning something that no one knows yet, that you’re making a contribution to the body of knowledge,” said Leustek. “In my younger years, I loved climbing mountains. It’s pretty hard to get to the top. Unless you have passion, it’s going to be misery. But, if you have passion, it will be fun. You’ll be skipping up the rocks to the top of the mountain.”
Choosing to retire earlier than many of his tenured colleagues, Leustek said that he aims to cultivate other passions in the next chapter of his life –spend more time with friends and family, learn to play the ukulele and brew beer and wine. A trained plant biologist, he also keeps an extensive vegetable garden.
“I’ve realized that life is short and it’s necessary to feel self-satisfied in what you’re doing,” said Leustek, who cited the life of his 30-year-old son, sadly cut short, as inspiration to change his own. “He was just beginning his life – a horrible tragedy and so painful for me. That caused me to re-evaluate what I want and motivated me to retire at this age.
