Full Name
Dr. Thomas P Lubberstedt
Job Title
NAPB Borlaug Scholars Advocate
Company
National Association of Plant Breeders
Speaker Bio
Thomas Lübberstedt is Professor and K.J. Frey Chair at the Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University (ISU). Thomas serves as Director of the R.F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding, and the Distance M.S. in Plant Breeding program. He is founder of the Doubled Haploid (DH) Facility, and Faculty Scholar of Plant Sciences Institute at ISU. Thomas served as chair of the Plant Breeding Coordinating Committee (PBCC) in 2016/17, and was co-host of the 2022 National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) meeting at ISU. He serves as NAPB VP currently.
Thomas grew up on a horticultural farm in Hamburg, Germany, and studied Horticulture at University of Hannover. He earned his Dr. rer. nat. at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1993, where he analyzed promoters of photosynthesis genes and DNA regulatory proteins. During this time he developed his interest in integrating plant breeding with biotechnologies including molecular genetics. Thomas has been working as (equivalent to the U.S.) assistant professor at University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart. His main topic was the analysis of quantitative trait loci for forage and resistance traits in maize. Before joining ISU in 2007, he has been working as senior scientist at the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, where his overall theme was the implementation of genomic approaches into forage grass breeding, aiming at the development of diagnostic “functional” DNA markers. Of particular interest was the lignification of cell walls in relation to forage quality in maize and other grasses. Over the past ca. 8 years, Thomas focused his research primarily on DH technology and its application, which resulted in USDA- and FFAR-funded projects, and novel germplasm including haploid inducers.
Thomas is teaching Molecular Plant Breeding to on campus and distance students at ISU. He has been and is serving as major professor of more than 30 PhD students. The Distance MS in Plant Breeding program at ISU, launched in 2011 under Thomas direction, educated more than 50 graduates, and contributed significantly to the Plant Breeding E-Learning in Africa (PBEA) program.
Thomas grew up on a horticultural farm in Hamburg, Germany, and studied Horticulture at University of Hannover. He earned his Dr. rer. nat. at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1993, where he analyzed promoters of photosynthesis genes and DNA regulatory proteins. During this time he developed his interest in integrating plant breeding with biotechnologies including molecular genetics. Thomas has been working as (equivalent to the U.S.) assistant professor at University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart. His main topic was the analysis of quantitative trait loci for forage and resistance traits in maize. Before joining ISU in 2007, he has been working as senior scientist at the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, where his overall theme was the implementation of genomic approaches into forage grass breeding, aiming at the development of diagnostic “functional” DNA markers. Of particular interest was the lignification of cell walls in relation to forage quality in maize and other grasses. Over the past ca. 8 years, Thomas focused his research primarily on DH technology and its application, which resulted in USDA- and FFAR-funded projects, and novel germplasm including haploid inducers.
Thomas is teaching Molecular Plant Breeding to on campus and distance students at ISU. He has been and is serving as major professor of more than 30 PhD students. The Distance MS in Plant Breeding program at ISU, launched in 2011 under Thomas direction, educated more than 50 graduates, and contributed significantly to the Plant Breeding E-Learning in Africa (PBEA) program.
Speaking At
