Our Team
The Dry Bean Breeding & Computational Biology Program thrives thanks to our diverse, passionate team. Together, we’re cultivating innovation in agriculture.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Mohsen Yoosefzadeh Najafabadi
Principal Investigator
2024–Present
Overseeing the dry bean breeding and computational biology program.
Technicians
Lyndsay Schram
Lead Technician
2021–Present
Overseeing crossings, field trials, technician management, and breeding program operations.
Alexander Schaefer
Technician
2023–Present
Assisting with technical tasks.
Graduate Students
Jhanarthanan Murali
Master Student
Researching Phenomics-Based Selection for Anthracnose Resistance.
Aashvi Patel
Master Student
Researching Genomics-Based Selection for Anthracnose Resistance.
Mehdi Babaei
PhD Student
Co-advised with Dr. Davoud Torkamaneh.
Sajal Ahlawat
Master-Internship Student
Exploring Advanced Breeding Techniques.
Yasmine Hezema
Master-Internship Student
Co-advised with Dr. Milad Eskandari
Exploring Advanced Genetics Techniques.
Undergraduate Students
Trinity Solinger
Undergraduate Student
Contributing to breeding technique development.
Kiarash Mirkamandari
Undergraduate Student
Contributing to BeanGPT development.
Collaborators and Volunteers
Dr. Alexandros Kouretsis
External Collaborator
Developing AllInOne Genomics R Shiny App.
Dr. Sejal Parmar
Volunteer
Advancing genomic-based-techniques for the dry bean breeding program.
Dr. Hosna Miladi
Volunteer
Developing high-throughput techniques to accelerate the dry bean breeding program.
Koosha Rokhzadi
Volunteer
Developing Predictive AI algorithms for the dry bean breeding program.
Niki Esmaeili
Volunteer
Developing Predictive AI algorithms for the dry bean breeding program.
Rahul Vinod Krishna
Volunteer
Developing Predictive AI algorithms for the dry bean breeding program.
Sarah Riddle
Volunteer
Assisting with field and lab research.
Cyrus Lysander Chrakyan
Volunteer
Assisting with field and lab research.
Alumni
Shania Van Herk
Former Technician
2021-2025
Madison Taylor
Former Undergraduate Student
2024
Christian Alloway
Former Undergraduate Student
2024
Abrienna Mills
Former Undergraduate Student
2025
Anna Collins
Former Undergraduate Student
2025