About Us

Sam Bouabane has a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and joined Breeding Insight in May 2024. He comes from a financial and banking software background where he led multiple teams in the delivery and maintenance of large scale, mission critical applications. Sam is interested in the understanding and utilization of technology to create solutions and lower barriers for non-technical audiences.

Kirsten Richardson joined Breeding Insight in early 2019 as the program’s Administrative Assistant. As BI’s support and staff size grew, so did Kirsten’s dedication to the specialty crop clients that Breeding Insight serves. As the heart of BI’s Program Coordination team, Kirsten has covered everything from obtaining office space, scheduling meetings, coordinating travel, and assisting with crafting policy for the team. Now, in her role as Program Manager, Kirsten has also taken on responsibility for managing project scope, budgeting, and financial reporting. She loves that her work helps support the continued success and overall satisfaction of the entire BI team and their USDA-ARS collaborators.

Arlyn (AJ) Ackerman has worked with a number of different specialty and commodity crops across a range of breeding programs. AJ has utilized his multi-crop experience to cross-cut concepts across various crops and breeding schemes dating back to his Ph.D. research at Clemson University. Growing up on a farm in the Midwest, AJ has worked in both start-up breeding companies and across various branches of Monsanto (now Bayer). Additionally, AJ has trained under breeders facing the unique challenges involved in building a breeding program from the ground up, as well as breeders implementing innovative changes in recently inherited programs. AJ’s research and interests have revolved around implementing cutting-edge technologies into modern breeding programs. These focuses include the integration of phenotyping and AI-driven tools into breeding programs and measuring the benefits or consequences these changes have on genomic-assisted breeding pipelines, building disruptive approaches to designing breeding trials and speed breeding, and effectively integrating genomic-driven strategies into breeding schemes.

Bhoja joined Breeding Insight in June 2024 as the Breeding Data Coordinator. He holds a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding from Texas A&M University and an M.S. in Plant Sciences from South Dakota State University. Bhoja brings over a decade of experience in applied crop breeding and variety development. His career includes significant roles such as Breeder for Bread Wheat Improvement and Lead Breeder for the Hybrid Wheat Program at CIMMYT, Mexico. Bhoja has made significant contributions to understanding the genetic basis, discovery, and deployment of disease resistance in wheat, particularly durable rust resistance. Known for his expertise in breeding process improvement, data management, genomic prediction, and product development, Bhoja has played a key role in developing advanced wheat germplasm and hybrid wheat production systems. Additionally, as a Breeding Optimization Specialist for the Accelerated Breeding Initiative / Excellence in
Breeding (EiB) platform at CGIAR, he coordinated efforts in aligning breeding targets, optimizing breeding schemes, and using advanced tools to enhance genetic gains across various crop breeding programs.

Edwin Reidel was inspired to study plants after landing a undergraduate Work-Study job in the UC Davis Horticulture Department. He eventually earned a MS in Horticulture & Agronomy -- also at UC Davis, followed by a PhD emphasizing plant physiology and molecular biology at Cornell University. After a stint in seed production research, Edwin migrated to business development roles for over a decade, gaining further expertise in technologies for measuring plants. Some career highlights include performing breeding crosses resulting in the release of new walnut varieties, solving a problem in onion seed processing that was costing millions annually in losses, winning a contract for the world's largest outdoor plant phenotyping system, and helping to launch a software startup focused on drone image analysis in breeding. He enjoys Nordic skiing and running ultramarathons for fun in the Pacific Northwest.

Cris joined Breeding Insight in June 2024 and brings expertise in computational biology and genomics. She holds a Master’s and Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Breeding from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, where she specialized in statistical genetics and the development of computational tools for genetic analysis. After completing her Ph.D., she conducted a postdoctoral fellowship at Texas A&M University, where she focused on polyploid species genetics and advanced bioinformatics for crop breeding. Her work spans a broad range of analyses, including SNP calling, linkage mapping, GWAS, and QTL analysis, with a focus on creating user-friendly interfaces for data exploration and results visualization. Cris has contributed to the development of multiple widely used software tools, such as OneMap, VIEWpoly, Qploidy, MAPpoly, BIGapp, BIGr, and Reads2Map, which enable researchers to conduct complex genomic analyses more efficiently. Cris is also experienced in exploring complex and non-standard genetic mechanisms, including structural variations. In her role as Genomics Coordinator, she applies her expertise to support USDA-ARS breeding programs, helping breeders adopt state-of-the-art genomic technologies to accelerate genetic gain and improve cultivar selection.

Alex joined Breeding Insight in October of 2022. She grew up in Brazil where she obtained her BS. in Agronomy and MSc. in Genetics. She then moved to the US to pursue her PhD at Cornell University where she graduated with a major in Plant Genetics and a minor in International Agriculture. At Breeding Insight, Alex is eager to apply her technical and managerial skills to advance breeding goals and to train breeders and researchers on BI’s latest tools and technologies. She lives in sunny -- sometimes stormy -- Florida where she enjoys gardening and spending time with her spouse and their two cats.

Madhav joined Breeding Insight in June 2024. He grew up in Nepal, where he completed his BS in Agricultural Science. Madhav holds a PhD in Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics from the University of Georgia and an MS in Biological Science from the University of New Hampshire. His graduate work focused on the genetic and genomic analysis of economically important traits in wheat and quinoa.
Madhav’s expertise in bioinformatics, GWAS, QTL mapping, and statistical data analysis, combined with his experience in genotyping and molecular analysis, makes him a valuable asset to Breeding Insight. In his current role, he provides genomic and bioinformatics support for developing pearl millet and sorghum varieties, collaborating with international partners from Senegal and Ethiopia as part of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab.