Plant & Food Research scientist Dr Samarth has received the Illumina Emerging Researcher Award 2024 in recognition of his exceptional use of molecular biology tools.
The award, presented during the Queenstown Molecular Biology Meeting, recognises Dr Samarth’s expertise in using next-generation sequencing technologies in his research, with a focus on non-model organisms, including native grasses and hornworts.
“It’s an honour to have my research recognised with such a prestigious award,” says Dr Samarth, a scientist in the Premium Crops & Technology Group. “I’m deeply grateful to Illumina and Queenstown Research Week for selecting me for this prestigious award. I also want to extend my gratitude towards Plant & Food Research for their support and opportunity to work within an encouraging team”
“Illumina’s advanced sequencing technologies have significantly shaped my research journey, and it’s incredibly rewarding to share the impact of my work at the Queenstown Research Week. Attending Queenstown Research Week has always been a highlight for me, bringing together international and national researchers to foster meaningful discussions, potential collaborations, and a bit of fun.”
Dr Samarth’s work focuses on the of evolution of flavonoid biosynthesis, red pigmentation and associated stress tolerance mechanisms in liverworts and hornworts. His work also includes elucidating the role of transcription factors regulating the flavonoid biosynthesis in Marchantia.
As the award recipient, he gave a presentation at the Queenstown Molecular Biology Meeting, on unveiling novel genetic pathways in non-model plants through advanced sequencing technologies, describing how recent advances in sequencing technologies have enabled investigation of whether canonical molecular pathways characterised from model organisms are evolutionarily conserved across non-model organisms.
Dr Samarth received his PhD in Plant Biology from the University of Canterbury, where he investigated the molecular regulators of mast flowering and understanding the effect of global temperature change on masting phenology. He then conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Otago, where he worked on different geographically grown perennial ryegrass cultivars to identify traits associated with delayed flowering. He has also been honoured with an MBIE travel fellowship, the Young Scientist Fellowship from the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB), and the Michael McManus Award by New Zealand Society for Plant Biologists.
The Illumina Emerging Researcher Award was developed by Illumina in collaboration with the Queenstown Molecular Biology Meeting to celebrate the work of rising researchers in the field of molecular biology. The prize acknowledges those who have made significant strides in their early careers using molecular tools to advance our understanding of biology.
Source: Plant & Food Research
