Sergio Feingold

Sergio Feingold leads the Agro-Biotechnology Laboratory of INTA-Balcarce of Argentina and since 2014 coordinates the Biotechnology Program of the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA). After graduated in Agronomy in the University of Buenos Aires in 1988, he followed postgraduate studies related to storage proteins and DNA-markers associated to bread-making quality in wheat, in the same University (MSc and PhD). He has pioneered the use of molecular markers for breeding in different crops, in both public and private institutions in Argentina. He joined INTA as a researcher in 1999, and he has coordinated various National and International projects founded by INTA, Ministry of Science of Argentina, National Research Council, USDA and OEA. He has also participated as Principal Investigator for Argentina in the Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium (www.potatogenome.net; 2006-2011), and its consecutive work on mapping the potato genome. He was substitute focal point for Argentina at the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture / FAO between 2013 and 2015, and member of the Advisory Panel of the FAO International Symposium on “The role of agricultural biotechnologies in sustainable food systems and nutrition” held on 15-17 February 2016 at FAO headquarters, Rome. Also, he performs tasks as Technical Director of the Bilateral collaboration project financed by the Argentinean Foreign Office FOAR 6246 "Building capacities for increasing soybean production by means of bio-techniques and germplasm exchange", between Argentina and Vietnam (2014-2017). His research interests are focused in Functional Genomics of crops, specifically in allelic variation and characterization of quality genes in native potatoes from NW Argentina by studying genes related to industrial quality, nutritional value and secondary metabolite production. The work in his Lab is involved in the adaptation and development of tools for new breeding techniques as plant genome editing.