Dhruv Patel-Tupper, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Do more with less. From the bed my grandmother, siblings, and I shared, to the heirloom Indian vegetables I ate– cleverly grown between the parked cars and chain-link fences of the motel I was raised in, I learned this lesson early on. This mantra has gone hand-in-hand with my professional career, culminating in my Ph.D. in biotechnology and a desire to scale transformational action in sustainable agriculture and investments in science innovation– so we all can do more with less.Innovation can only be transformative if the right policy levers exist to translate those solutions at scale. As an AAAS STPF fellow in NSF's Emerging Technologies division, I am working to realize the cross-sectoral benefits of emerging biotechnologies, funding ambitious, scalable, and risk-informed projects that accelerate our trajectory towards a more sustainable world.Prior to NSF, I served as a science advisor within USDA/FAS's Office of Multilateral Affairs, advancing international climate and trade policy efforts to mainstream climate action within the agriculture sector. I worked to ensure that innovations and international policies at the intersection of agriculture and climate change were evidence-based, scientifically rigorous, scalable, and sustainable. As a postdoctoral fellow and graduate student, I always sought ways to “do more with less”– investigating the ways gene-editing and synthetic biology tools could be used to improve how efficiently plants photosynthesize in dynamic field conditions to maximize outputs while minimizing inputs. With the support of the Innovative Genomics Institute and the RIPE Project (Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency), I generated relevant biotechnological tools and discoveries for international smallholder farmers. I have been awarded over $250,000 in fellowships and awards to investigate the intersection of molecular biology and food systems thinking, with associated patent applications and publications in journals including Science Advances, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Plant Cell.I am working towards a position that leverages research, collaboration, and communication to increase the interdisciplinary impact science can making in addressing grand global challenges like the climate crisis.Opinions are my own 🏳️‍🌈