Dr. Sirisha Kaniganti, an Indian, is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Yam Genome Editing at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nairobi, Kenya and a member of One CGIAR. Her research focuses on applying CRISPR/Cas genome editing to develop Semi-dwarf yam varieties with improved architecture and disease resistance, supporting sustainable production and enhanced food security across Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Prior to joining IITA, Dr. Kaniganti served as a Crop Transformation and Genome Editing Specialist at Rothamsted Research, UK, one of the oldest and most prestigious agricultural research institutes in the world. There, she led efforts to develop and optimize high-efficiency transformation protocols and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing systems for wheat, rice, and soybean. Her work contributed to Rothamsted’s mission to deliver sustainable crop improvement strategies through advanced biotechnology.

She holds a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Osmania University, India, with research conducted at ICRISAT, Hyderabad where she established genome editing platforms for Striga-resistant sorghum. During her Ph.D., she received advanced training at Corteva Agriscience in Iowa, USA, where she worked on sorghum transformation technologies, gaining hands-on industry experience in plant regeneration and gene editing pipeline optimization.

Dr. Kaniganti’s areas of expertise include plant molecular biology, crop transformation, functional genomics, and bioinformatics. She has authored peer-reviewed scientific publications, presented at international conferences, and mentored students and early-career researchers. Her work is driven by a passion for translating cutting-edge science into practical solutions for tropical agriculture.