2026 Symposium Organizing Committee Members

Merve Saglam

Ph.D. in Plant Breeding

mervesaglam@tamu.edu

Merve Saglam is a Ph.D. candidate in Plant Breeding at Texas A&M University, working in the Crop Genome Editing Lab under Dr. Endang Septiningsih. Her research focuses on CRISPR overexpression and CRISPR-Combo genome editing to enhance heat stress tolerance in Vigna unguiculata (cowpea). She also investigates carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as alternative DNA delivery systems and performs protoplast-based CRISPR-Combo activation studies in Sorghum bicolor. Merve served as the Student Competition Chair for the 11th Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium and is returning this year as President of the 12th Symposium.

Nicholas Shepard

Ph.D. in Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences

nick.shepard@tamu.edu

Nick Shepard is working towards a Ph.D. in Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences at Texas A&M University, where his research focuses on the powerful convergence of quantitative genetics and data science. His work leverages machine learning and high-throughput phenotyping to accelerate genetic gain and improve complex trait prediction in row crops like cotton and maize. Nick was a Selected Speaker at the 11th Plant Breeding Symposium and is returning this year as the Speaker Chair on the 12th Annual Planning Committee.

Navdeep Kaur

Ph.D. in Horticultural Sciences

navdeep@tamu.edu

Navdeep Kaur is a second year Ph.D. student in the Department of Horticultural Sciences. She is a member of the Rose Genetics and Breeding group under the direction of Dr. Oscar Riera-Lizarazu. She completed Bachelors in Biotechnology from Punjab Agricultural University in Punjab, India and a Masters in Plant and Environmental Sciences from New Mexico State University. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic determinants of Black spot and Cercospora resistance in roses and performing genomic prediction. She also performs metagenomic analysis of black spot infected leaf tissues to characterize the black spot isolates present in the rose fields in Texas. She served as a Finance chair in the Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium 2025.

Arpan Das

Ph.D. in Plant Breeding

arpan.das@tamu.edu

Arpan is pursuing a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding at Texas A&M University, where his research focuses on wheat root phenotyping using advanced screening technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). His work combines plant genetics and breeding to better understand root system architecture and its role in adaptation to environmental stress. He completed his M.Sc. in Genetics and Plant Breeding and B.Sc. in Agriculture from Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh. Before joining Texas A&M, Arpan worked on the molecular characterization of wheat under terminal heat and drought stress. His long-term goal is to advance climate-resilient crop breeding through the integration of modern phenotyping and genetic approaches.

Rashmi Singla

Ph.D. in Plant Pathology & Microbiology

rashmi.singla@tamu.edu

Rashmi Singla is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology. She completed her Master’s degree in Entomology and Plant Pathology at Oklahoma State University and her Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture (Honors) from Punjab Agricultural University in India. Her research examines how microbiomes and vector feeding behavior influence maize susceptibility to corn stunt caused by Spiroplasma kunkelii. She integrates microbiome profiling, EPG-based vector studies, and rapid diagnostic methods in her work. She has been active in student leadership and service, serving as Treasurer for the PLPM Graduate Student Club and as Graduate Seminar and Guest Speaker Coordinator in the department at Texas A&M. Before joining TAMU, she served as Vice-President of the EPP Journal Club and as Media Coordinator for the International Students Organization at Oklahoma State University.

Sabahat Zahra

Ph.D. in Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences

Zahra@tamu.edu

Sabahat Zahra is a Ph.D. candidate in the Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences program at Texas A&M University. Originally from Pakistan, she studies microbiome-mediated carbon sequestration in sorghum systems, examining how pyrolyzed amendments and plant life history influence microbial diversity and soil carbon stabilization. She integrates microbiome analysis, soil biogeochemistry, and machine learning to identify microbial indicators of soil health and resilience. Her master’s research at Texas A&M University focused on UAV-based wheat phenotyping, applying drone-derived vegetation indices to examine how plant physiological performance relates to variation in grain yield and quality.

Leonard Herndon

Ph.D. in Plant Breeding

Lherndon@tamu.edu

Leonard Herndon is a Ph.D. student in the Crop Genome Editing Laboratory under the direction of Dr. Michael Thomson. He completed both his B.S. and M.S. degrees at Texas A&M University. His doctoral research focuses on optimizing alternative plant transformation systems in industrial hemp. He works on in situ transformation approaches and studies the cannabinoid biosynthetic pathway with the goal of developing a null-cannabinoid chemotype. He is grateful for the opportunity to pursue his interest in hemp at the molecular level through Dr. Thomson’s program and the support of Texas A&M University.

Varun Kumar Reddy Cheruku

Ph.D. in Plant Breeding

cvreddy@tamu.edu

Varun Kumar Reddy Cheruku (C V Reddy) is a Ph.D. student working with Dr. Nithya Rajan. C V Reddy is originally from India where he completed a B.S. in Agriculture from Annamalai University. He holds an M.S. in Plant biotechnology from Fort Valley State University, GA, USA. His current research focuses on exploring Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI) potential of maize and integrating this trait into breeding programs. His work aims to reduce nitrogen losses from agricultural systems for sustainable nitrogen management while supporting crop productivity and environmental health.

Shovit Khanal

Ph.D. in Plant Breeding

tskh_0617@tamu.edu

Shovit Khanal is a Ph.D. student in Plant Breeding at Texas A&M University, under the supervision of Dr. Waltram Ravelombola in the Specialty and Organic Crop Breeding Program at the Texas A&M AgriLife Center in Vernon. Originally from Nepal, Shovit earned his B.S. in Agriculture and M.S. in Plant Breeding from Agriculture and Forestry University. His research focuses on legume breeding and genetics and currently working on enhancing seed protein content in cowpea through integrated genomics and phenomics approaches, including metabolomics, transcriptomics, Raman spectroscopy, histological analysis, and field phenotyping.

Victor Hernandez

M.Sc. in Plant Breeding

victorhdz0115@tamu.edu

Victor Hernandez is a Master’s student in Plant Breeding at Texas A&M University, specializing in gene editing and SNP haplotype exploration. His primary research focuses on employing multiplex CRISPR-Combo genome editing to create targeted knockouts in Sorghum bicolor genes involved in flowering and biomass accumulation. In addition, he investigates promising alleles in rice related to stress tolerance and nutritional traits through SNP haplotype analysis, candidate gene characterization, and CRISPR/Cas-based functional validation. Victor earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, where he worked under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Thomson, contributing to hemp genetics research with an emphasis on cannabinoid-related gene expression.