From a fascination with plants to a career in breeding

My interest in plants started early. As a kid, I was the one delighted every time our Hoya bella came back into flower. That curiosity never really left me. Still, when it came time to study, I wasn't sure you could make a living working with plants, so I kept my options open and chose biotechnology in a broad sense. It was during that time that it became clear this was where I belonged. I went on to complete a master's in plant biotechnology at Wageningen University, with a major in plant breeding.

What I learned along the way is that breeding is not only science and hard data. There is also something you have to sense: why one particular plant earns your attention in a way that is difficult to put into words. Holding both of those together, the rigorous and the intuitive, is what drew me to the work, and it still shapes how I approach every project.

I began my career in a molecular lab in 2018, where I regularly went into the breeding greenhouse to sample leaves. The more questions I asked, the clearer it became that I wanted to breed, not just analyse. Before long I was given the chance to train as a tomato breeder. Over the next five years I learned my way around every part of the seed business: breeding everything from cherry to beef tomatoes, for low- to high-tech greenhouses across different countries, guided by mentors I'm still grateful for today.

That period also brought a defining challenge. Just as my first hybrids were beginning to show real promise, Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) swept through the industry. My own lines weren't resistant, so I set out to breed resistance back into them. I took it personally.

In many ways it meant years of rebuilding: getting there would take just as long either way. And if I was going to rebuild anyway, I realised, I could have far more impact doing it across several programs than inside just one. So in 2023 I founded PlantWise Consultancy. Today I work as an independent breeder, combining practical plant breeding, molecular genetics, and program management to help companies run their breeding in a more structured, efficient, and focused way. Tomatoes are my specialty, and while yield is always the commercial bottom line, taste and disease resistance are the challenges I enjoy most.