@VT_TPSC

TPSC at VT is a collaborative community of researchers committed to advancing the sustainable production of food, feed, & biomaterials 🌾🌻 🔬

 Blacksburg, VA
tpsc.vt.edu
Joined July 2016
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372Media
Seeking a Ph.D. in plant sciences, environmental sciences, or sustainable agriculture related fields? Register today for TPSC’s Virtual Open House on November 20th, 10am-12pm EST! Register here: virginiatech.questionpro.com…
Translational Plant Sciences Center logo. Virginia Tech logo. Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program: Virtual Open House. Friday, November 20, 2026. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. EST. What you will learn: How to apply (for free!). First year lab rotations. Graduate Student Organization. Career Exploration Initiative. Interdisciplinary research. Annual Symposium. Register Today! https://virginiatech.questionpro.com/tpsc-virtual-recruitment-2026

ALT Translational Plant Sciences Center logo. Virginia Tech logo. Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program: Virtual Open House. Friday, November 20, 2026. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. EST. What you will learn: How to apply (for free!). First year lab rotations. Graduate Student Organization. Career Exploration Initiative. Interdisciplinary research. Annual Symposium. Register Today! https://virginiatech.questionpro.com/tpsc-virtual-recruitment-2026

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Dr. Sherif Sherif received the Andy Swiger Land-Grant Award at the @vtcals 31st annual Faculty and Staff Picnic! Read more: news.vt.edu/articles/2026/09…
Recipients of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' 2026 Faculty and Staff Awards at the September picnic. Photo by Hayley Conrad for Virginia Tech.

ALT Recipients of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' 2026 Faculty and Staff Awards at the September picnic. Photo by Hayley Conrad for Virginia Tech.

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The @virginia_tech Soybean Breeding and Genetics Team introduced children and their families to the amazing world of soybeans through an interactive presentation and hands-on activities at The Little Bookworm bookstore!
Dr. Luciana Rosso speaking to families at the Little Bookworm Bookstore.

ALT Dr. Luciana Rosso speaking to families at the Little Bookworm Bookstore.

The Virginia Tech Soybean Breeding and Genetics Team holding drawings at The Little Bookworm Bookstore.

ALT The Virginia Tech Soybean Breeding and Genetics Team holding drawings at The Little Bookworm Bookstore.

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A late spring freeze devastated fruit crops in the Winchester and Frederick County area of Virginia, resulting in a near-total loss of apple and peach crops for the fall season. TPSC faculty affiliate Dr. Sherif explains more: news.vt.edu/articles/2026/09…
Image courtesy of Mark Stebnicki from Pexels

ALT Image courtesy of Mark Stebnicki from Pexels

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Congratulations to Dr. David Schmale on being named the J.B. Stroobants Endowed Professor of Biotechnology by the @virginia_tech Board of Visitors! Read more: news.vt.edu/articles/2026/09…
David Schmale. Photo by Felicia Spencer for Virginia Tech.

ALT David Schmale. Photo by Felicia Spencer for Virginia Tech.

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TPSC faculty affiliate Dr. Zhao's current project, supported in part by @USDA_NIFA, focuses on improving pepper varieties adapted to controlled environment agriculture, with clear benefits for Virginia growers. Read more: nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/blo…
Bingyu Zhao working with indoor pepper cultivars. Photo by Tyler Bauguess for Virginia Tech.

ALT Bingyu Zhao working with indoor pepper cultivars. Photo by Tyler Bauguess for Virginia Tech.

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Ph.D. candidate Madhvi Singh from the Carneiro Lab received an ASHS Travel Award and gave an oral presentation titled "Nutritional Characterization of Faba Bean Varieties to Support Breeding in the Mid-Atlantic Region" at the 2026 @ASHS_Hort conference in Dallas, TX.
Ph.D. candidate Madhvi Singh (left) and Dr. Renata Carneiro (right) at the 2026 American Society for Horticultural Science conference.

ALT Ph.D. candidate Madhvi Singh (left) and Dr. Renata Carneiro (right) at the 2026 American Society for Horticultural Science conference.

Ph.D. candidate Madhvi Singh giving an oral presentation titled "Nutritional Characterization of Faba Bean Varieties to Support Breeding in the Mid-Atlantic Region" at the 2026 American Society for Horticultural Science conference.

ALT Ph.D. candidate Madhvi Singh giving an oral presentation titled "Nutritional Characterization of Faba Bean Varieties to Support Breeding in the Mid-Atlantic Region" at the 2026 American Society for Horticultural Science conference.

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Ph.D. student Shabneek Kaur from the Wright Lab completed an @NSF iBiofoundry workshop at @UofIllinois, gaining hands-on training in laboratory automation and AI/ML for synthetic biology. The program focused on the fundamentals of liquid handling and automated workflow design.
Ph.D. student Shabneek Kaur (left) receiving a certificate from Dr. Huimin Zhao (Program Director, right) at the NSF iBiofoundry workshop.

ALT Ph.D. student Shabneek Kaur (left) receiving a certificate from Dr. Huimin Zhao (Program Director, right) at the NSF iBiofoundry workshop.

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At the 58th Annual American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) meeting, TPSC affiliates Dr. Balota received the Corteva Agriscience Award for Excellence in Research, and Dr. Vennam received 2nd place for his poster in the Graduate Student Competition. Congratulations!
Dr. Balota and Dr. Vennam at the 58th Annual American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) meeting.

ALT Dr. Balota and Dr. Vennam at the 58th Annual American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) meeting.

Dr. Balota receiving the Corteva Agriscience Award for Excellence in Research.

ALT Dr. Balota receiving the Corteva Agriscience Award for Excellence in Research.

Dr. Vennam receiving the second place award for his research poster in the Joe Sugg Ph.D. Graduate Student Competition.

ALT Dr. Vennam receiving the second place award for his research poster in the Joe Sugg Ph.D. Graduate Student Competition.

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Congratulations to Ph.D. student Abigail Green from the Vinatzer Lab!
PacBio
@PacBioSep 22
We’re excited to announce 4 winners for the 2026 Metagenomics SMRT Grant! 🧬 From infant resistomes and hereditary cancer to soil pathogens and HPV persistence, see how these researchers are driving discovery with PacBio HiFi sequencing. Learn more: bit.ly/4rotusF
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Dr. Ghosh received two grants from @VaAgriculture: Linking Plant Resistance and Biological Control for Stronger Vegetable Pest Management. Stage-Specific Biological Control and Performance-Enhanced Egg Parasitoids for Managing Box Tree Moth in Virginia. Congratulations!
The Ghosh Lab. From left to right: Dr. Enakshi Ghosh, Charly Hartle, and Mitchell Sadowski.

ALT The Ghosh Lab. From left to right: Dr. Enakshi Ghosh, Charly Hartle, and Mitchell Sadowski.

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This past summer, the 2026 @NSF International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) cohort conducted field and lab research on ice nucleation in Austria and presented their work at the Virginia Tech Summer Undergraduate Research Conference.
The 2026 NSF IRES cohort in the Austrian Alps.

ALT The 2026 NSF IRES cohort in the Austrian Alps.

Dr. David Schmale (left) and the 2026 NSF IRES cohort with Dr. Hinrich Grothe.

ALT Dr. David Schmale (left) and the 2026 NSF IRES cohort with Dr. Hinrich Grothe.

The 2026 NSF IRES cohort at the Virginia Tech Summer Undergraduate Research Conference.

ALT The 2026 NSF IRES cohort at the Virginia Tech Summer Undergraduate Research Conference.

The 2026 NSF IRES cohort hiking in Austria.

ALT The 2026 NSF IRES cohort hiking in Austria.

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During the summer, students from the Cladis Lab presented their research on blueberries and blackberry jam at @IFT First in Chicago, IL and the @nutritionorg annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Undergraduate student Alex Cohen (left) and Ph.D. student Molly Caron (right) at IFT First.

ALT Undergraduate student Alex Cohen (left) and Ph.D. student Molly Caron (right) at IFT First.

Undergraduate student Alex Cohen with her research poster, titled "Optimizing methods for the extraction of phenolic compounds in blackberry jam."

ALT Undergraduate student Alex Cohen with her research poster, titled "Optimizing methods for the extraction of phenolic compounds in blackberry jam."

Ph.D. student Molly Caron with the digital poster display at IFT First.

ALT Ph.D. student Molly Caron with the digital poster display at IFT First.

Graduate student Leah Ellis discussing her research poster with an attendee at the American Society for Nutrition annual meeting.

ALT Graduate student Leah Ellis discussing her research poster with an attendee at the American Society for Nutrition annual meeting.

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Congratulations to TPSC's new Interim Director, Dr. Boris Vinatzer, on being named a @plantdisease Fellow! Dr. Vinatzer also joined APS's Plantopia podcast to discuss his career in plant biotechology and plant pathogenic bacteria. Listen here: plantopiapodcast.org/75
Dr. David Schmale (left) and Dr. Boris Vinatzer (right) at the APS Annual Meeting in Rhode Island.

ALT Dr. David Schmale (left) and Dr. Boris Vinatzer (right) at the APS Annual Meeting in Rhode Island.

Dr. Vinatzer (center) holding a certificate naming him as an APS Fellow at the APS Annual Meeting in Rhode Island.

ALT Dr. Vinatzer (center) holding a certificate naming him as an APS Fellow at the APS Annual Meeting in Rhode Island.

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At @IFT First, students from the Carneiro Lab gave oral presentations and shared their research posters on fava beans. Congratulations to Mary Claire Mea, who earned 3rd place in the Undergraduate Research Competition and received an IFT Feeding Tomorrow Fund Travel Scholarship!
The Carneiro Lab at IFT First. From left to right: Jackson Schatz, Madhvi Singh (top), Mary Claire Mea (top), Taylor Peele, and Dr. Renata Carneiro.

ALT The Carneiro Lab at IFT First. From left to right: Jackson Schatz, Madhvi Singh (top), Mary Claire Mea (top), Taylor Peele, and Dr. Renata Carneiro.

Jackson Schatz giving his oral presentation, “Green Faba Bean: A High-Protein Ingredient for Hummus Production" on the research showcase stage at IFT First.

ALT Jackson Schatz giving his oral presentation, “Green Faba Bean: A High-Protein Ingredient for Hummus Production" on the research showcase stage at IFT First.

Madhvi Singh (left) and Dr. Renata Carneiro (right) with Madhvi's research poster, titled "Consumer-driven genotype selection to support U.S. fava bean adoption and market expansion."

ALT Madhvi Singh (left) and Dr. Renata Carneiro (right) with Madhvi's research poster, titled "Consumer-driven genotype selection to support U.S. fava bean adoption and market expansion."

Dr. Renata Carneiro (left) and Mary Claire Mea (right) with Mary's research poster, titled “Assessing succulent seeds from common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) as new green legumes for the U.S. market."

ALT Dr. Renata Carneiro (left) and Mary Claire Mea (right) with Mary's research poster, titled “Assessing succulent seeds from common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) as new green legumes for the U.S. market."

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Dr. Hinrich Grothe, a professor at TU Wien in Austria, gave a seminar titled “Bioaerosols over European Forests” on VT's Blacksburg campus as part of the Global Distinction Fellows Program, a collaboration between TPSC and the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation.
Dr. Hinrich Grothe speaking at the Global Distinction Fellows Program seminar.

ALT Dr. Hinrich Grothe speaking at the Global Distinction Fellows Program seminar.

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TPSC welcomes our new Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program (IGEP) graduate students, Yuwen Gao, Riya Jain, and David Zapata! 🌱
Yuwen Gao. Riya Jain. David Zapata. Virginia Tech logo. Fralin Life Sciences Institute. Translational Plant Sciences Center. Virginia Tech.

ALT Yuwen Gao. Riya Jain. David Zapata. Virginia Tech logo. Fralin Life Sciences Institute. Translational Plant Sciences Center. Virginia Tech.

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Congratulations to graduate student Sydneye Bronson from Dr. Courtney Leisner's lab on being named both a @VTCals Graduate Teaching Scholar and a George Washington Carver Scholar!
Graduate student Sydneye Bronson next to her research poster titled "Effects of Xanthomonas and Elevated Temperature on Capsicum annuum."

ALT Graduate student Sydneye Bronson next to her research poster titled "Effects of Xanthomonas and Elevated Temperature on Capsicum annuum."

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Dr. Verdonk, an associate professor at @WUR, gave a seminar titled "Exploring the Effect of the Abiotic Environment to Shape Plant Product Quality" on campus as part of TPSC's and the Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation's Global Distinction Fellows Program.
Dr. Julian Verdonk speaking at the Global Distinction Fellows Program seminar.

ALT Dr. Julian Verdonk speaking at the Global Distinction Fellows Program seminar.

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TPSC affiliates Dr. Leisner, Dr. Wong, and Dr. You are part of the 2026 @VTCals Global Opportunity Initiative, a group providing training on global agriculture research and partnerships. As part of their work, the cohort visited @Bayer and @USDA in Washington, D.C.
The 2026 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Global Opportunity Initiative cohort in Washington, D.C. They are standing behind a podium that reads "United States Department of Agriculture."

ALT The 2026 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Global Opportunity Initiative cohort in Washington, D.C. They are standing behind a podium that reads "United States Department of Agriculture."

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