Dr. Wirulda Pootakham, Head, Genomic Research Lab, was selected as a “Young Affiliate of TWAS” by the organization’s Regional Office for East and South-East Asia and the Pacific (TWAS-ROESEAP).
Dr. Pootakham’s latest achievement includes the development of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology to identify and genotype a large number of SNPs in Thailand’s economic species. GBS technology plays a crucial role in marker-trait association analyses and marker-assisted breeding of important economic species such as rice, oil palm, rubber tree, cassava and sugarcane. The ability to discover a large number of SNPs is also beneficial for developing markers for cultivar identification and seed purity test of seed species such as cucumber, watermelon melon and chili. The SNP purity test kits developed in-house are cost-effective and allow for rapid genotyping of F1 hybrid cultivars.
TWAS is a global science academy dedicated to building science in developing world. Each year, TWAS Regional Offices each select outstanding scientists under the age of 40 years to be ‘TWAS Young Affiliate’. The highly competitive honor is awarded to promising researchers from developing nations who demonstrate potential for generating high socioeconomic impact works at a global scale. During the five-year tenure, TWAS Young Affiliates will have opportunities to expand their network with other affiliates and with elected TWAS fellows and to attend international conferences.