Have you met?
Veene Veena, PhD
Principal Investigator and Director Plant Transformation Facility, Danforth Plant Science Center
Describe your journey to the Danforth Center?
Born and raised in India, I have been intrigued by plants and their ability to tolerate, optimize, and grow under conditions we need to shelter for survival. My curiosity led me to pursue a PhD in plant molecular biology to functionally characterize genes and study their role in helping plants survive unfavorable environmental conditions. I completed my PhD at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) under Prof. Sudhir Sopory PhD. My next stop was at Purdue University, where I spent a few years as a postdoc with Prof. Stan Gelvin PhD, a leading researcher in Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation. Thereafter, I joined Chris Taylor, PhD, at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to further my research in the genetic engineering of plants. My goal was to leverage the utility of plant transformation technologies to generate improved crops with traits that can tackle the global challenges of food security and sustainability, including the impacts of climate change.
The drive to apply my knowledge to real-world challenges in food and feed led me to join Monsanto (now Bayer), where I contributed to the development of novel genome-modification technologies for the generation of plants with improved traits. I gained fantastic experience working with various cross-functional teams, including agronomic traits, regulatory, trait integration, technology acquisition, and business strategy.
I returned to the Danforth Center in 2016 as a Director & Principal Investigator of the Plant Transformation Facility. As one of the premier institutions and state-of-the-art plant transformation facilities globally, my team collaborates with academic and commercial clients helping test new ideas for crop improvement by utilizing novel genome modification technologies. I am also actively involved in the Society of In Vitro Biology (SIVB). As a Vice Chair of the Plant Biotechnology Section, I advocate to further the importance of plant biotechnology to emerging scientists and the general public in meeting challenges of global food security in a sustainable manner.
What are you most excited to be working on right now?
My role as a Director of the Plant Transformation Facility allows me to collaborate with many PIs from the Danforth Center and across the globe on a variety of research projects ranging from developing and optimizing novel genome modification technologies to creating new crops with improved nutritional value, enhanced yield potential, ability to tolerate adverse environmental conditions, and to have improved carbon sequestration potential. Every project we work on is unique and exciting, primarily because of how these research projects can impact the growing demands of plants with improved traits and recognition of St. Louis and 39 North as a leader in agtech research and commercialization.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Spending time with my family and friends, cooking and painting.
