Science is a team sport. This is especially true for the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project, whose research spans continents and disciplines. The scope of RIPE's goal to engineer photosynthesis for increased crop yield and stress tolerance requires a dedicated team. Often when we think about who composes that team, we think of the professors, postdocs, and students whose names end up at the top of academic papers. But behind that list of authors is a behind-the-scenes team of staff with their own expertise. 

Their names appear in the acknowledgements section of each paper and their work is critical for every discovery. These people do the boots-on-the-ground labor to take RIPE's research pipeline all the way from lab to field, driven by the mission to improve photosynthesis for the future of food security. Here are their stories. 

Bikram Poudel

 

Bikram spends many days in his extremely tidy office analyzing data and designing constructs — synthetic DNA segments used to engineer RIPE's plants. Bikram is the first step in the lab-to-field pipeline as RIPE's Crop Transformation Facility (CTF) Manager where all of the genetic changes to RIPE's crops happen. Whenever professors, postdocs, or graduate students have an idea about what constructs or gene edits they want in their plants, they collaborate with Bikram. 

"I love that through my job, I am bringing the ideas and technologies in the lab closer to being useful for people," Bikram said.

Hailing from Hetauda, Nepal, Bikram’s interest in genetics began at an early age when observing goats in his hometown and wondering why some of them had no horns. Before working with RIPE, Bikram had experience genetically modifying crops such as rice, wheat, and potato for his Ph.D. and master's studies in plant science and molecular biology, respectively. He is driven by the infinite possibilities of genetic engineering.

"With recent advancements, the possibilities of advancing crop improvements are endless," he said. "Now, we can modify plants in the ways we could only dream a decade ago. I aim to deliver those improvements and modifications to researchers all over the world. Ultimately, those improvements will benefit everyone."

When he came to RIPE, he was excited to dive into transformations in soybean and develop more efficient workflows. In his day-to-day activities, he analyzes genotyping data and makes decisions on how to proceed. Despite the challenges of plant transformation, Bikram enjoys the work and feels fulfilled knowing that he is at the core of the project and is using genetic biology for the greater good.

"People have to realize that research done in the labs is useful to them in daily life. I am glad I am contributing to that idea."

 

Mike Root

In Mike's own words, it is a "fortuitous coincidence" that his last name is Root and he works with plants. Once the design of DNA constructs or gene edits are finalized by Bikram and other scientists, Mike carries out the plant transformations as RIPE's Tissue Culture Technician. He spends his days at CTF in Zen mode checking on plantlets in growth chambers, making tissue culture media, and working in the hood transforming plants. 

"The fun part is that you're working with these little plants and keeping them happy and moving forward, step by step and day by day," Mike said.

During his formative years in Detroit, Michigan, and Toledo, Ohio, Mike wasn't sold on genetic biology. His interest didn’t germinate until he took upper-level cancer biology and genetics classes during his undergraduate studies. He has been working in biology labs as a lab manager and research technician ever since. In the past, Mike worked with mice, fish, and fruit flies, but experimenting on live animals took a psychological toll. So, when he had an opportunity to work with plants at RIPE, he enthusiastically made the switch and never looked back. 

Everything Mike knows about plant transformation, he learned on the job. Over the last nine years with RIPE, Mike has put over 100 constructs into more than 6,000 transgenic plantlets that are under his care for an average of 6-8 months. He says his greatest success is in helping to streamline and develop new plant transformation workflows. Mike also enjoys training others because it reinforces his own understanding. For Mike, the most fulfilling part of his work is seeing the long arc of science and knowing that he helped move it forward.

"It feels good to go to a meeting and see that you touched everything,” he said. “To actually see data and be like, ‘I remember that plant and that construct.’ I feel like it's great to see that it's working. To have established such a lofty goal working with the Gates Foundation instills in me passion to contribute to the project and aid in discoveries that can impact the world.”

 

David Drag

David is always on the move. As RIPE's Senior Manager of Field and Greenhouse Operations, he spends his days zipping between RIPE's two greenhouses (the High Throughput Phenotyping Facility, HTPF, and the RIPE Nematology Greenhouse) and the many field trial locations to monitor experiments. After transformed plantlets leave CTF, they enter David's team’s care in the greenhouse, bound for field testing.

“The intensity and fast pace of both the greenhouse and field work complement my personality very well. I am challenged every day on the job and cannot imagine a more inspiring team to work with,” David said.

David's passion for plants was cultivated at a young age in his grandparents’ garden. As an undergraduate student here at Illinois, he took a flagship photosynthesis course taught by RIPE researchers Carl Bernacchi, Lisa Ainsworth, Don Ort, and Steve Long. During his master’s studies he aided in the management of experiments investigating the impacts of elevated temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations on photosynthesis at the SoyFACE research facility.

“I have always had a fascination with plants and am overjoyed to be able to build a career around this passion," he said. "I genuinely enjoy the outdoors and find peace when I am surrounded by plants. After leaving the field site, I try to spend most evenings working in my home garden.”

Over the last 14 years at RIPE, David has managed 90+ field trials here at Illinois and 20+ in Puerto Rico where he has grown tobacco, wheat, rice, cassava, potato, and soybean. He says this is his dream job and that he thrives on its dynamic nature where each day is unique. He is fulfilled knowing that the knowledge gained from the plants and experiments he tends will help to improve the lives of smallholder farmers in the future.

“I love the idea that the plants we work with daily have the potential to change the world and, more specifically, smallholder farmers who will need the most help in our ever-changing climate. RIPE has been unique since day one. The collaborative nature of the project and working with researchers on the forefront of plant science has been life-changing to say the least, and I have gained many lifelong friends along the way.”

 

Tracy Kolar

 

On any given day, you can find Tracy bopping around between facilities: CTF, HTPF, Nematology greenhouse, and the Institute of Genomic Biology (IGB), helping move RIPE's research forward. As the Genotyping Technician for RIPE, Tracy collects and processes tissue samples and runs DNA analyses on plants growing in the greenhouses. She gathers crucial genotyping data that helps researchers confirm genetic modifications and evaluate how those changes may influence photosynthesis. 

“One of my biggest contributions has been keeping data organized and on track,” Tracy said. “I collaborate with researchers, greenhouse staff, and the transformation crew, helping coordinate information across teams that depend on each other. By processing and analyzing samples accurately and delivering reliable results on schedule, I help maintain efficient workflows and support the success of the research process."

Agriculture is rooted in Tracy's family, with two parents who hold agricultural degrees and grandparents who run a farm. Tracy grew up in a small town, Sidell, Illinois. After completing her undergraduate degree in agronomy management, she worked as a field technician for many years for multiple large seed companies. In Mike's words, she was eager to learn plant genotyping and to be a part of the RIPE team.

"When the opportunity came up at the University of Illinois, it allowed me to learn new skills and see a different side of plant research," she said. RIPE has given me exposure to areas of science that I probably wouldn't have encountered if I had stayed exclusively in field research."

Over the last seven years with RIPE, Tracy has confirmed construct expression in over 9,000 plants. She also completed her master’s degree in crop sciences during her tenure. Tracy says the diversity of the RIPE team is one of her favorite parts of the job. Additionally, she feels good knowing that her work is for the greater good.

"My family is my biggest motivation. Since becoming a parent, I've gained a different perspective on why I work and what I'm working toward. Providing for my family and creating opportunities for our future is what drives me every day. I also enjoy knowing that the work I do contributes to agricultural research that can make a meaningful difference."

 

Cibele Zaccaron

Cibele’s office in IGB is stocked with a scale, packing supplies, and a whiteboard scrawled with notes and a large quote that reads "Be good! Be kind! Breathe!" Most days, she can be found there, filling out paperwork and packaging shipments of seeds. Cibele manages the permits, material transfer agreements, and shipments of genetically altered materials and works across all levels of RIPE's research pipeline.

“What makes this work especially meaningful to me is knowing that each successful material transfer helps researchers move their science forward," Cibele said. "By bringing together scientists, biotechnology regulatory teams, legal teams, research institutions, and collaborators, I help ensure that materials reach the right researchers at the right time.”

The seeds of agriculture were sown in Cibele's heart from her upbringing on a family farm in Minas Gerais, Brazil. She went on to obtain a master's degree at the Federal University of Lavras and a Ph.D. degree in crop sciences at the University of São Paulo, where she studied soybean breeding and seed development. Before she came to RIPE, she was a Seed Commercialization Program Manager at the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL). She has always been driven by curiosity and sees the challenge of engineering crops for a better world as one big puzzle to be solved. 

“I have a passion for improving lives through agriculture," she said. "From helping soybean varieties reach farmers across Africa at SIL to supporting RIPE’s mission to advance photosynthesis and crop productivity, I’ve seen the power of science when discovery moves beyond the lab. That journey from science to field to people is what gives my work purpose.”

Cibele's favorite parts of the day are spent in conversation. She engages with research technicians, regulators, professors, and everyone in between to help them get their mission-critical science done. For Cibele, everything is worth it in the end because of the mission of RIPE—to help create a more sustainable and equitable food future.

“I love connecting people, science, and resources to keep research moving forward. Being part of RIPE’s dynamic international team and seeing collaboration turn cutting-edge science into solutions for more resilient crops and global food security is what makes this work so exciting!” 

 

Appreciation for the Team

These professionals come to work every day motivated to make a positive impact on the world through plant science. Along the way, they make RIPE’s ambition to enhance the efficiency of photosynthesis possible.

“The RIPE project has required a dedicated team, working together and supporting one another from the moment it started. We are grateful to each member for their dedication to the research and vision,” said Lisa Ainsworth, RIPE's Director. 

"RIPE management and support staff like Bikram, Mike, David, Tracy and Cibele are examples of the phenomenal team it takes for a global project like RIPE to succeed," said Katherine Meacham-Hensold, RIPE's Project Manager. "We cannot produce higher yielding or more productive seed without the incredible support they provide producing new constructs, moving seed between our partners and funders for testing in greenhouse and field trials. We are incredibly lucky to have such a passionate and driven support team that have helped take RIPE concepts through to reality with the production and screening of over 150 new constructs since inception. This is a remarkable achievement."

 

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Written by Brittany Prempin

Photo Credits: RIPE Project | Brittany Prempin