About Me
Hello!
Currently, I am a Ph.D. candidate in Plant Breeding Graduate Program (PBGP) at the University of Florida. I work with Dr. Md. Ali Babar in world food crop breeding lab. Originally, I am from Nepal and obtained my bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science from the Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal. Then, I completed my Master of Science program in the Horticultural Sciences department at the University of Florida in 2021.
My Ph.D. research focuses on the improvement of wheat yield, Harvest index, and associated biomass-partitioning complex traits under heat-stressed conditions. With the use of UAV-based multispectral, thermal, and hyperspectral imagery, and genomics data, I have been developing different prediction models for these multiple traits using various multi-kernel best linear unbiased prediciton (BLUP) models and machine learning algorithms.
Reseach Project
Resume
Education
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Ph.D., Plant Breeding Graduate Program, University of Florida
2021 — 2025Specialization: Plant Breeding, Quantitavie Genetics, High-throughput Phenotyping, Prediction Modeling
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MS, Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida
2019 — 2021Specialization: Plant Physiology, Big Data Management, Rootstocks Field Trials, Green-house Experiments
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BS, Agricultural Science, Agriculture and Forestry University
2012 — 2017
Research Experience
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Research Assistant
Aug 2021 — PresentWorld Food Crop Breeding and Genetics Lab, University of Florida
PI: Dr. Ali Babar
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Research Assistant
Jan 2019 — Jul 2021Plant Physiology Lab, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida
PI: Dr. Ute Albrecht
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Research Assistant
Feb 2018 — Mar 2018Nepal Public Health Foundation, Chitwan, Nepal
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Research Assistant
Nov 2017 — Dec 2017FORWARD Nepal, Chitwan
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Undergraduate Research
Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan, Nepal
Supervisor: Chandeshwar Prasad Shriwastava
Additional Experience
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Agri-Market Analyst
Mar 2018 — Jul 2018Prime minister agriculture modernization project, sweet orange super-zone, Sindhuli, Nepal
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Program Coordinator
Dec 2017 — Jul 2021High School Crop Science program, Shree Rajeshwari Higher Secondary School, Sindhupalchowk, Nepal
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B.Sc. Agriculture Intern
Apr 2017 — Sep 2017Prime minister agriculture modernization project, Sweet Orange super-zone, Sindhuli, Nepal
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Enumerator
Sep 2016 — Oct 2016Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development, Pokhara, Nepal
My skills
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Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
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R-studio for Data carpentry, Analysis and Visualization
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Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs) Operation
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Multispectral, Thermal, and Hyperspectral Image Processing
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Experimental Design for Field and Greenhouse Experiments
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Scientific Writing and Presentation
Scholarships and Awards
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National Association of Plant Breeders Borlaug Scholarship 2023-24
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Travel scholarship to present in the annual meeting of Western Society of Crop Sciences in Honolulu, Hawaii (June 26-28, 2023)
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Travel scholarship to present in annual symposium of Society of Organic Seed Professionals in West Virginia (July 2022)
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Student speaker award for oral presentation in Plant science council symposium 2022
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Second place in the Best student scientific paper publications by Florida State Horticultural Society (FSHS) in 2021
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Plant Breeding Graduate Initiative (PBGI) fellowship to pursue Ph.D. in plant breeding at University of Florida
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Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) to pursue Masters in Horticultural Sciences at University of Florida
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Full merit government scholarship to pursue Bachelor of Science in Agriculture at Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal
Publications
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‘Valencia’ orange trees on diploid and tetraploid rootstocks in multiple HLB-endemic environments
Research
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‘Hamlin’ orange trees on diploid and tetraploid rootstocks in multiple HLB-endemic environments
Research
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Crop diversification for improved weed management
Research
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Determining leaf nutrient concentration using UAV imagery and ML
Research
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Rootstock effects on Valencia and Hamlin in large-scale commercial plantings
Extension
Involvements
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Gator Citrus Club
The Gator Citrus Club is a multidisciplinary club composed of UF students and faculty advisors interested in citrus and other horticultural crops.
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Nepalese Student Association
The NSA at UF serves as the community builder by working as a info-hub among the Nepalese community living in Gainesville, FL.
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Gator Cricket Club
Gator Cricket Club is an official cricket-representing club of University of Florida. The club provides practice and training facilities for all the UF cricket aspirants and take participation in AMerican College Cricket regionals and national tournament.
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ASA, CSSA, SSSA
ASA, CSSA and SSSA is a progressive, international, scientific and professional society for Agronomy, Crop Science and Soil Science that empowers scientists, educators, and practitioners in developing, disseminating, and applying various solutions to feed and sustain the world.
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Plant Science Council, UF
Plant Science Council (PSC) at the University of Florida helps to develop leadership skills by encouraging members to organize and participate in professional activities such as entirely student-led symposiums, seminars, and workshop series.
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American Society for Horticultural Sciences
American Society for Horticultural Science focuses on practices and problems in horticulture: breeding, propagation, production and management, harvesting, handling and storage, processing, marketing and use of horticultural plants and products..
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Florida State Horticultural Society
Florida State Horticultural Society helps to discover new business, science and networking opportunities in Florida horticulture with over 100 years and 100 published issues of scientific and industry Proceedings, quarterly newsletters, annual conferences, job postings, and more.