Plant Biologists Win VinFuture Prize for Developing Self-Cloning Crops
Two researchers at the University of California, Davis have been awarded a VinFuture Prize in recognition of their work developing self-cloning crops, a breakthrough for sustainable agriculture.
Venkatesan Sundaresan, a Distinguished Professor of plant biology and plant sciences, and Imtiyaz Khanday, an assistant professor of plant sciences, travelled to Hanoi, Vietnam to receive the prize at a special VinFuture Foundation ceremony Dec. 5.
The $500,000 VinFuture Special Prize for Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields was created in 2021 to honor emerging research fields and innovations that have the potential to create positive changes for humanity.
“I’m honored that the global impact of our research is being recognized in this way,” said Khanday. “I come from a farming family, and I’ve always wanted to develop technologies that help farmers, especially smallholder farmers. We’re trying to make better seeds for the world.”