Rafael Massahiro Yassue: Plant Direct First Author

Rafael Massahiro Yassue, first author of “Genome-wide association analysis of hyperspectral reflectance data to dissect the genetic architecture of growth-related traits in maize under plant growth-promoting bacteria inoculation”

Current Position: Data Scientist at GDM

Education: Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Breeding, University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Brazil

Non-scientific Interests: Hiking, traveling, and cooking

Brief bio: As an Agronomist with a Ph.D. in genetics and plant breeding, my thesis focused on utilizing cutting-edge technologies to connect genomics, phenomics, and statistical modeling in plant breeding and genetics studies. The study involved using high-throughput phenotyping techniques, such as hyperspectral, thermal, and multispectral cameras, as well as RGB imaging, to understand the genetic architecture of the response to plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) in tropical maize. The research explores the use of these advanced phenotyping methods to identify the root and shoot traits and their genetic basis, and how they were associated with the response to PGPB.  Currently, I am a Data Scientist at GDM. My research interest is using experimental design, genomic selection, phenomics, and enviromics to enhance genetic gain in the context of Soybean breeding.