Team Member

Dr. Sirisha Kaniganti is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Kenya, where she focuses on developing semi-dwarf yam varieties using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Her research aims to improve plant architecture and enhance productivity to support sustainable yam cultivation and strengthen food security across sub-Saharan Africa. She holds a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Osmania University, India, with doctoral research at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), where she developed CRISPR-based genome editing platforms for Striga-resistant sorghum. Prior to joining IITA, she worked at Rothamsted Research in the UK, optimizing transformation and genome editing systems for wheat, rice, and soybean. She also gained industry experience as a visiting scientist at Corteva Agriscience in the USA, contributing to CRISPR/Cas9-based improvements in sorghum. Her expertise includes plant transformation, genome editing, molecular biology, and bioinformatics, with a strong focus on applying biotechnological tools to address global agricultural challenges