Sean R. Cutler is a professor of plant cell biology at the University of California, Riverside. In 2009 Cutler showed how abscisic acid, a naturally-produced plant stress hormone, helps plants survive by inhibiting their growth in times of drought. Cutler also discovered pyrabactin, a synthetic chemical that mimics abscisic acid. His research was named by Science magazine as one of the top 10 breakthroughs of the year.[1] In 2018, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Cutler received his B.A. and M.S. from the University of Toronto, and his Ph.D. from Stanford University.