Keith Merrill Email & Phone Number

St Louis, Missouri, United States

* Led a global, interdisciplinary, project team team of 11 people, with an annual operating budget of >5M USD, focused on developing novel transgenic and gene edited solutions for plant disease management.* Integrated solutions from five separate external collaborations with internal discovery efforts.* Consulted with and provided training and coaching to teams across Bayer Crop Science R&D during the transition into a radically different organizational operating model and management structure.

Chesterfield, Mo

* Designed and carried out modeling and simulation projects to evaluate the effect on genetic gain of changes in breeding methodology and marker usage. One project has the potential to increase the rate of genetic gain by an estimated 14% without sacrificing any inbreeding generations, seasons of testing, or time in population development.* Collaborated on a team of breeders and analytical scientists to develop, test, and plan for the implementation of a predictive algorithm to leverage ancestral networks, along with pedigree, genetic, analytical, and phenotypic data in order to better predict population performance and increase the rate of genetic gain within varietal crop breeding across the company.* Worked as an integral team member on the design of web-based applications to enhance varietal crop breeders ability to leverage new analytics in their population creation and advancement decisions.* Interfaced with both breeding and enterprise-level IT organizations on the planning, design, and implementation of applications to enable breeding operations across crops in protected culture.* Designed and managed proof of concept experiments to enable the transition of our early pipeline field operations into protected culture (greenhouse).

Glyndon, Mn

* Managed a full soybean breeding program, from population creation and management, through elite yield testing and advancement decisions. I had testing locations across North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Manitoba, and Ontario as well as a winter nursery in Chile.* Focused on bringing in, assessing, and introgressing meaningful genetic diversity from both private companies and public institutions into Monsanto's early relative maturity soybeans. This required strict adherence to exact terms of use and the applicable tracking of material and actions.* Worked closely with the IT development team as a designer, power user, and trainer for the development of two new internal web-based applications for soybean, cotton, and wheat to maximize the ability of the breeders to use genomic predictions and predictive analytics when deciding which populations to have created, while also streamlining the approach to early population development.* Led a successful proof of concept study to accelerate the inbreeding cycle time during population development, which allowed for an additional generation of inbreeding, decreased residual heterozygosity and field inputs, and doubled the amount of population genetic diversity that is preserved during population creation and inbreeding.

Raleigh, Nc

* Performing association mapping for leaf blotch, leaf rust, hessian fly, powdery mildew, and stripe rust in an Eastern Soft Red Winter Wheat diversity panel. * Developed KASP assays for significant QTL discovered through Association Mapping projects.* Scored leaf rust, leaf blotch, Hessian Fly, and powdery mildew in the field.* Assisted with making crosses between wheat lines.* Analyzed genotyping by sequencing (GBS) data from wheat mapping populations.* My research was part of the Wheat T-CAP (Triticeae Coordinated Agricultural Project)

Raleigh, Nc

* I was the TA for this course during the 2012 and 2013 Spring Semesters.* Proctored the lab sessions, assisting students (comprised of Graduate Students and NCSU Faculty) with navigating within the Unix terminal in Linux and with troubleshooting code.* Taught three lab sessions on Genotyping by Sequencing (GBS) and programs for GBS analysis.

Creve Coeur, Mo

• Developed calibration models for determining moisture content in whole seed of both corn and soybean using a Nicolet Antaris FT-NIR Instrument• Determined seed moisture content in both corn and soybean through oven-drying of ground seed• Assisted with data collection for the procedural gap analysis of an automated germination machine• Assisted with methanol and cold germination seed stress tests

• Developed SNP markers for Bromus tectorum through 454-sequencing of cDNA and subsequent use of KASPar andFluidigm genotyping for analysis and validation• Genotyped 96 ecologically diverse populations of Bromus tectorum using SSR and SNP markers• Examined the respective roles of genetic variation, phenotypic plasticity, and facultative outcrossing in the ongoinginvasion and range expansion of Bromus tectorum in the Intermountain West through genotypic analyses, commongarden trials, and reciprocal transplant experiments• Expedited the DNA extraction process by over 700 percent by adapting a mass extraction protocol involving thepurchase and repair of used lab equipment• Directed and trained a team of both U.S. and international undergraduate students working on my projects• Mentored two international students in writing undergraduate student research grant proposals• Grew Pyrenophora semeniperda conidia for inoculation experiments using large-scale fermentation• Assisted with the installation, monitoring, and data collection of various field experiments

• Directed a team of 8 individuals in collecting phenotypic trait variation data on corn hybrids that were of economicalimportance to Monsanto between 1960 and the present• Analyzed the historical hybrid trait data and presented the results at Monsanto’s headquarters in St. Louis• Assisted the breeding team in planting and also in training and directing crews in thinning and pollination

Provo, Utah Area

* Directed the set up and operation of the theatrical lighting for BYU Young Ambassadors (2005-2007), and the BYU Living Legends (2008) while at BYU and on tour throughout the central and western United States, Chile, and eastern China. * Led local technical crews at each venue to ensure that each performance could start on time and the lighting functioned properly to meet the expectations for the directors, performers, and audience.* Demonstrated a high degree of agility in adapting to new equipment, stages, and locations, and in working through cultural and language barriers to accomplish the tasks at hand.

Phd, Plant Breeding And Genetics

Ms, Genetics And Biotechnology

Activities and Societies: ASA, CSA, SSSA, Undergraduate Mentoring

Bs, Genetics And Biotechnology