Ames, Iowa, April 24, 2024 — Dr. Raquel Chan, a distinguished scientist and Senior Researcher at CONICET-Argentina, recently delivered a seminar titled: “Translational research focused on HD-Zip I transcription factors. From a model plant grown in a culture chamber to crops in field conditions and back to fundamental science” for the Department of Agronomy’s weekly plant breeding seminar series on campus. 

In her presentation Dr. Chan explained her journey from studying transcription factors in model plants grown in controlled environments to applying these discoveries to develop drought tolerant wheat and soybean cultivars. Her work bridges fundamental science with practical applications, emphasizing sustainable crop improvement.

Dr. Chan’s impressive career trajectory includes earning her Ph.D. at CEFOBI (CONICET-UNR) after completing her degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her post-doctoral research at the IBMP (Strasbourg-France) further honed her expertise. She has authored 102 international articles, including nine book chapters, and holds ten patents related to biotechnological tools for crop improvement.

We were honored to have Dr. Chan speak at our weekly plant breeding seminar series on Wednesday, April 24^th. Chan’s work reveals the importance of interdisciplinary efforts, translating basic discoveries into agricultural applications to solve major food production issues, such as drought stress.