Bikram Poudel is the RIPE Crop Transformation Facility Manager. He designs constructs on request from researchers worldwide within RIPE, manages soybean transformation, and produces low copy events for downstream research applications. His area of research is modifying the plant by adding or modifying genes and enhancing their yield quantity and/or quality. He is passionate about using plant genome editing to deliver practical benefits for farmers, improve food systems for consumers, and accelerate agricultural research. Bikram earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from IAAS - Tribhuvan University, a master’s degree in plant biology from the University of Arkansas, and a doctorate degree in plant science from McGill University. His work has been published in PLoS One, Trends in Biotechnology (Cell Press), and the International Journal of Agronomy. Bikram has received the Graduate Excellence Award and Schulich Graduate Fellowship from McGill University.