Seed Science & Technology
Meet Our Presenters
Gary Munkvold, PhD
Iowa State University
Graduate Program in Seed Technology & Business Director
Seed Science & Technology Webinar Series MC
Alex Cochran, PhD
- Purdue University Graduate with a BS; MS, PhD (Plant Pathology). My graduate research focused on understanding and mapping the genetic diversity of Phytophthora root rot caused by Phytophthora sojae, a major disease that impacts soybeans across the U.S.
- Began my career with Syngenta as a Field Development Scientist in 2001 based at their research station in Visalia, CA. During my time with Syngenta I completed roles in Field Development, Global SeedCare Technical Product Management (in Basel, Switzerland HQ), Global Post Harvest Fungicide Technical Management, and was the Agronomy Services Leader for the Western US & Florida
- Left Syngenta in 2013 to join Corteva/DuPont Pioneer to build and lead a Seed Applied Technology Discovery and Development team. In addition to leading the ST team I was also asked to lead the Global Insect and Nematode Management Development Team and the Biologicals Development Team.
- Joined DPH Biologicals in June of 2021 as acting Chief Technology Officer.
Dr. Larry Halverson
Iowa State University
Presenting Tuesday, November 12: What do we know and what do we need to know about assembly of the spermosphere microbiome?
Dr. Larry Halverson
Rhodora Romero-Aldemita
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications Inc. (ISAAA)
Presenting Tuesday, November 5: Global Biotech Adoption Trends, Applications, and Benefits
Dr. Rhodora Romero-Aldemita
Executive Director, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications Inc.
Director, Global Knowledge Center on Biotechnology
Dr. Rhodora Romero-Aldemita is an internationally-recognized scientist and science communicator who leads the advocacy and promotion of biotechnology and biosciences in the region through the ISAAA network and its local and international partners. She leads the development and publication of the Annual Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops or ISAAA Briefs, and coordinates the activities of ISAAA’s Biotechnology Information Centers in the region. She is a member of the Technical Advisory Team of the DA’s Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries Biotechnology Program, a board member of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, the editor-in-chief of the Philippine Journal of Crop Science, and a scientific reviewer of 6 scientific journals. Dr. Aldemita has published 34 papers in scientific journals and proceedings and chapters in two books on biotechnology. She holds a Ph.D. in Botany from Purdue University, USA, and Post-doctoral Fellowship at Albert-Ludwigs University (AUF), Germany on Golden Rice. She has served as Chief Science Research Specialist and the Biotechnology Coordinator at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and was formerly a researcher at the International Rice Research Institute.
Dr. Veronica Roman-Reyna
Pennsylvania State University
Presenting Tuesday, November 19: Next-Generation Seed Testing Through High-Throughput Sequencing
Dr. Veronica Roman-Reyna
Veronica is an Assistant Professor of Global Change Pathology in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology at Pennsylvania State University. She earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and obtained her Ph.D. from Australian National University. Following her studies, she completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines. She then joined The Ohio State University, initially as a postdoctoral researcher before becoming a research scientist, a position she held until 2023. In her faculty role, Veronica’s research focuses on integrating advanced -omics tools to explore plant-pathogen interactions and the associated adaptations to hosts and environments. Her work aims to promote sustainable agricultural practices, mitigate plant diseases, strengthen pathogen surveillance, and enhance food security. She has standardized pipelines for using metagenomics in disease diagnostics and genetic analyses to describe outbreaks. Her research encompasses several key areas, including Microbial Dynamics in Agricultural Systems, Surveillance of Emerging and Ongoing Plant Pathogens, and Genomic Epidemiology of Plant Pathogens. Among her honors, Dr. Roman-Reyna was recognized as one of the “Schroth Faces of the Future” by the American Phytopathological Society in 2022.