Meet Jesse Munkvold, PhD

Jesse Munkvold is a recipient of BTI’s 2019 Early Career Award. After receiving his PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell University in 2007, Jesse joined BTI as a postdoctoral associate in Greg Martin’s lab from 2008-2011. Since then, he has made his mark in the world of industry, first at Keygene Inc. and now at Corteva Agriscience, which is DowDupont’s Agricultural Division (formerly Dow AgroSciences).

While at Keygene, Jesse was a trait bioinformatician who,  among other things, designed, implemented and led international projects on next generation mutation breeding in maize, wheat and soybean. He also served as a member of the R&D Advisory Board overseeing company-wide operational and strategic R&D activities. After less than three years at Keygene, he was a coauthor of ten patent applications and one granted patent for genes related to plant architecture and biotic and abiotic stress.

Since joining Dow AgroSciences in 2014, Jesse has risen to his current position of Corteva’s Applied Technologies Group Leader, where he leads a group focused on the application of cutting edge genomics and phenotyping technologies in plant breeding at one of the world’s leading agriculture companies. Among other things, he has led a collaborative team on the implementation of a genomic selection production pipeline globally for corn, resulting in significant increases in genetic gain. He also co-developed new genomic analytical methods resulting in two invention disclosures, six internal company awards for research and collaboration, and was a co-chair of the First International Genomics, Traits and Business Conference 2014, in Charlotte, N.C.

Dr. Munkvold has been actively involved in science outreach to both the local and national research communities. He has been invited as a guest speaker at a number of events, including at BTI’s PGS Career Symposium in 2018, as well as international scientific conferences.