Thiago Marconi Email & Phone Number

Since 2002 I have been working with plant breeding, molecular biology and genetics. I started at the University of Campinas-Brazil as an undergraduate student working with molecular markers to study genetic diversity. In 2007 I started my master’s that later on turned into a PhD with a focus on genetic mapping. I did an internship at Southern Cross University in Australia developing SNPs in sugarcane genetic mapping and quantitative analysis. In my postdoctoral at ESALQ/USP in Brazil in 2012, I worked closely with a group of statistician to develop a new software called SUPERMASSA to incorporate new statistical methods capable of analyzing different segregation patterns of molecular markers in polyploidy plants, like sugarcane, and incorporate these in the genetic map. I joined Texas A&M Agrilife Research in 2013 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate working on the development of molecular markers using Next Generation Sequencing for assisted selection in the sugarcane-breeding program. In 2014 I was ascended to a Research Associate position at the same institution to start the Texas A&M Vegetable Initiative where I applied my knowledge in genetics and molecular biology to integrate marker assisted selection into the South Texas vegetable-breeding program. I developed breeding populations in tomatoes and spinach as well as characterization of the existing germplasm bank using molecular markers and association mapping for the discovery of new important traits for the vegetable industry in the region. I was ascended as an Assistant Research Scientist at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco, TX to create and lead the Best Management Practices group. I conducted critical scientific research in vegetable cropping system and continue collaboration to develop new vegetable varieties incorporating high throughput phenotyping system using unmanned aerial vehicles. I also have established several partnerships with the private sector industry to develop chemical efficacy trials for major agricultural pests and diseases as well as performance regional trials for new varieties of various agricultural crops. I worked with a multidisciplinary team of researchers from Texas A&M to develop/increase the national production, mainly local, by implementing new technics and utilizing state of the art production systems that will result in higher quality produce with enhanced flavor and nutritional value, adapted to local environment with the ability to extend the production season, increasing competitiveness and profitability for local producers.

Listed skills include Molecular Biology, Genetics, Molecular Genetics, Pcr, and 25 others.