AGBT Announces Next Gen Leadership Award Recipients for the 2026 Agricultural Meeting

PHOENIX, Ariz., April 14, 2026

The Genome Partnership has announced the recipients of the 2026 Next Gen Leadership Awards for the AGBT Agricultural Meeting. These awards recognize outstanding early-career scientists and graduate students whose work and potential are shaping the future of agricultural genomics, including advances in plant and animal genomics. Award recipients receive financial support to attend and present their research at the AGBT Agricultural Meeting, with opportunities to engage with leaders in the field and build connections across the genomics community.

The AGBT Agricultural Meeting is a leading conference focused on agricultural genomics, plant and animal genetics, and emerging technologies including AI and genomic data science.

2026 AGBT Agricultural Meeting Next Gen Leadership Awardees

• Boris ME Alladassi: postdoctoral research associate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — Research focus: Connecting the evolutionary and statistical views of epistasis in quantitative trait genomics
• Mythri Bikkasani: graduate student (PhD scholar) at Punjab Agricultural University, India — Research focus: Connecting the dots: from high-throughput feed phenotyping to genomic dissection of heterosis in maize
• Larissa Bordin Temp: PhD student at São Paulo State University, Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences — Research focus: Genomic evaluation of rump fat-adjusted residual feed intake in zebu cattle: implications for selection strategies
• Lauren Johnson: PhD candidate at Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky — Research focus: Functional introgression within the horse mhc genes
• Mehak Kapoor: graduate assistant at Iowa State University — Research focus: Cell-type resolved gene expression signatures to identify and predict persistent PRRSV infection
• Pedro Nuñez Romano: postdoctoral researcher at Universitat Politècnica de València — Research focus: Integrating technology to refine the estimation of social genetic effects in pigs
• Viona Osei: graduate student at Tuskegee University — Research focus: Exploiting genomic variability in Listeria for the development of molecular diagnostic markers
• Kyungyong Seong: postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Davis — Research focus: Resurrection of the plant immune receptor Sr50 to overcome pathogen immune evasion
• Jade van Wijk: PhD student at Earlham Institute — Research focus: Using airborne DNA sequencing to monitor sporulation, infection and relative abundance of cereal rust fungi

"These awardees reflect the strength and diversity of emerging talent in agricultural genomics. AGBT Agriculture plays an important role in bringing these scientists into conversation with leaders across the field, helping accelerate the translation of genomics into practice."

Sarah Hearne, chief science and innovation officer at CIMMYT and co-chair of the AGBT Agriculture Scientific Organizing Committee

These awardees represent rising leaders in agricultural genomics, advancing research across genomic variability, genetic analysis, molecular diagnostics, pathogen surveillance, and quantitative trait genomics to improve crop performance, strengthen food safety, and advance sustainable agriculture. Their work reflects AGBT's mission to advance research, promote education, and expand the impact of genome science and technology.

"The Next Gen Leadership Award would strongly advance my career by supporting my research on feed efficiency, a trait that defines both profitability and sustainability in beef production. This award represents a transformative opportunity to grow as a scientist and contribute more effectively to innovation in animal breeding."

Larissa Bordin Temp, a 2026 Next Gen Leadership Award recipient

The AGBT Agricultural Meeting brings together the world's leading genome researchers, data scientists, breeders, policy influencers, funders, and technology innovators to accelerate advances in agricultural genomics, including plant, animal, and microbial genomics, and biotechnology. The meeting serves as a forum where collaborations form across academia, industry, and the investment community.

For photos and additional information about the Next Gen Leadership Awards and AGBT Agriculture, visit www.agbt.org.

About AGBT

Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) is organized by The Genome Partnership, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing genome science and its impact. Through its meetings, AGBT convenes the global genomics community, bringing together leaders across academia, industry, and investment to share discoveries, foster collaboration, and advance genomics and its applications across healthcare, agriculture, and emerging technologies.