Congratulations 2025 PBGB award winner and PSM PhD Candidate John Hawkins
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EmailGraduate student John Hawkins studies bean breeding as part of a historic program here in PSM.
Graduate Student Spotlight: PBGB Award recipient John Hawkins
Congratulations John Hawkins (Valerio Hoyos Villegas Lab)
Originally from Andover, Minnesota, earned a bachelor’s degree in Plant Science with a focus on Plant Breeding from the University of Minnesota. John’s passion for plants began in childhood and has since grown into a dedicated pursuit of understanding how plants function at the genetic level and applying that knowledge to improve crop varieties that benefit society.
Now in the 3rd year of his program, John was recruited to MSU’s dry bean breeding program by former faculty / dry bean breeder Dr Francisco Gomez. “Despite a change in advisors and some changes in my research plans, my experience at MSU has been very positive overall and has allowed me to improve my technical, professional, and personal skills,” John says.
John says he’s had a deep curiosity about plants since childhood, and now as a graduate student, he’s “come to appreciate the incredible diversity of beans, the range of market classes, and the importance of end-use quality traits that make bean breeding both challenging and rewarding. Plant breeding allows me to explore the genetic mechanisms that drive plant performance while contributing to tangible improvements in agriculture.”
The PBGB award will help toward research, presenting at meetings, and publishing toward his final dissertation. Ultimately, John is pursuing his career plant breeding “in either industry or academia, ideally focusing on crops that directly enhance human nutrition and well-being.”
Read more about bean breeding at MSU here.
Read even more about bean breeding at MSU here.
