ABOUT ME
Growing up in Nepal's subtropical region near Chitwan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, I developed an early appreciation for agriculture, biodiversity, and the natural world. I pursued this interest at Tribhuvan University, earning a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture with a specialization in Genetics and Plant Breeding, which laid the foundation for my research career in plant sciences.
Later, I had the opportunity to participate in the Diploma Program in Advanced Agricultural Studies for Agronomists at the Arava International Center for Agricultural Training (AICAT) in Israel’s Arava Valley. This experience provided valuable exposure to modern agricultural production systems, advanced horticultural practices, and innovative technologies for sustainable crop production, while broadening my international perspective on agriculture and food security.
After returning from Israel, I worked as a Program Coordinator with a farmer-led rural development organization (Tuki Association, Nepal) in Nepal. I supported community-based development initiatives and provided training on soil management, sustainable horticulture, and agricultural production, gaining valuable experience in translating scientific knowledge into practical solutions for farming communities.
I was awarded a prestigious German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship to pursue an MSc in International Horticulture at Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany. My research focused on the genetic basis of self-incompatibility in diploid roses, combining classical breeding, polyploidization, tissue culture, micropropagation, and molecular approaches. Through this work, I demonstrated the breakdown of self-incompatibility following polyploidization and identified molecular markers associated with the trait, contributing to our understanding of plant reproductive biology and providing tools for rose breeding.
Among the many rewarding experiences during my MSc, I had the opportunity to work with Westhoff Vertriebsgesellschaft in Südlohn-Oeding, Germany, a leading ornamental breeding company. This experience provided valuable insight into modern ornamental plant breeding, commercial cultivar development, and large-scale production systems. Working at the interface of research and industry broadened my understanding of how scientific innovation translates into practical horticultural applications and reinforced my interest in applying plant science to real-world challenges.
During my MSc studies, I developed a strong interest in plant viruses and became fascinated by how these pathogens, despite their remarkably small genomes, can hijack host cellular machinery to support their replication and spread. Motivated to pursue research in plant-virus interactions, I joined the University of British Columbia for my PhD under the supervision of Dr. Hélène Sanfaçon, a Research Scientist at the Summerland Research and Development Centre. My doctoral research focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms by which viral genomic RNAs recruit and manipulate host resources to facilitate viral protein synthesis and infection. I also investigated symptom recovery, a unique plant defense phenomenon in which initially symptomatic virus-infected plants produce asymptomatic new growth. Through a combination of controlled growth chamber experiments and molecular biology approaches, I demonstrated that symptom recovery is influenced by both environmental conditions, particularly temperature, and virus strain-specific factors, highlighting the complex interplay between host defenses, viral genetics, and the environment.
