Dr. Desiree Hautea, a faculty researcher at the College of Agriculture and Food Science, joined the 2021 roster of Asian Scientist Magazine’s list of Asia’s most outstanding researchers.

Dr. Hautea is a senior researcher at the Genetics Laboratory of  the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB)  and a retired professor at the Institute of Crop Science.

She is an expert in plant genetics and crop biotechnology and is known for pioneering the use of molecular markers for plant breeding and genetics resources in the university which led to one of her greatest breakthroughs, the Bt eggplant, a genetically modified hybrid that is resistant to the eggplant fruit and shoot borer.

For this achievement, she was recognized with the 2020 Lead Agriculture Award by the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology in September 2020.

Aside from her teaching and research engagements, Dr. Huatea has also served the university as the director of the Institute of Plant Breeding from 2001 to 2006. (Jessa Jael S. Arana)