Can the state of Hawaiʻi reach its 100% renewable electricity target by 2045? The skeptics may harbour their doubts, but Samir Khanal and Tomoaki Miura have a plan – and a grant – that could facilitate connecting bioresources with bioenergy interests. Samir, of the Dept. of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, and Tomoaki, of the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, have partnered on a recent $150,000 Sun Grant Western Region grant. Their goal? 

Papaya is an economically significant crop in Hawaiʻi and other tropical and subtropical locales. However, various diseases, drought, and heat stress threaten crop productivity. To improve resistance to these threats, an efficient gene-editing system was developed by graduate student, Marc Elias in the laboratory of David Christopher 

Two years ago, Alena Albertson never thought she’d have the once-in-a lifetime experience of presenting cutting-edge research at a conference, let alone winning an award. But that’s exactly what happened recently.

When Qing X. Li joined the Dept. of Molecular Biosciences & BioEngineering in 1995, he wanted to tackle agricultural chemistry issues relevant to Hawaiʻi. In his case, this meant a research focus on chemical proteomics, phytopharmaceuticals, food chemistry and safety, pesticide chemistry, and environmental monitoring and remediation. 

What does it take to become a world-renowned scientific investigator? Only the top researchers in the world can answer that question – and Samir Kumar Khanal of the Dept. of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering is officially recognized as one of them by Research.com, the leading research portal for science rankings.