New Plant Scientist joins Light Science Technologies

Chuan Ching Foo, known as CC, joins the team as Senior Plant Scientist, where she will take on full responsibility for the running and management of LST's onsite lab facilities where new crop testing is carried out, while also supporting the company's ongoing efforts to improve the quality, flavour, and freshness of produce for CEA growers and farmers in polytunnel, glasshouse and vertical farming.

With a background in Bioscience, CC studied in her native country of Brunei where she has a BSc in Biotechnology from Monash University, Malaysia. In 2013, she came to the UK to study for her MSc in Crop Improvement, with a focus on characterisation of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) transformed with rice PsbS gene, before completing her PhD in Photosynthesis and Photoprotection in Crops at the University of Nottingham, specialising in the improvement of photosynthesis through photoprotection in wheat and rice. Here, she also served as a lab technician overseeing lab and growth room facilities.

CC focused her academic research on plant canopies physiology and crop plants in different research environments (covering field, greenhouse and tropical glasshouse, controlled chambers and walk-in growth rooms) using different mediums of hydroponic, hydroleca clay, pot, tub and growth tank.

She has previously taught in student workshops and also worked as a research technician with Verdesian Life Sciences on a foliar biostimulants project and with Azotic Technologies, looking at the effects of nitrogen fixing bacteria on photosynthesis in rice plants. She has also worked on numerous collaborative projects with global institutes including CIMMYT in Mexico; Lancaster University, CSIRO based in Australia and NIAB in the UK.

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Photo by Philip Myrtorp on Unsplash

Source: Agritech Future