Rommel M. Garrido Jr. is a faculty member of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics (DPBG), College of Agriculture and Food Science, Visayas State University (VSU)–Main Campus at Baybay City, Leyte. He will pursue a Ph.D. in Applied Plant Sciences–Plant Breeding and Molecular Genetics Track at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities.

Mr. Garrido obtained his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture major in Plant Breeding at the Visayas State University (2013) and Master in Plant Sciences with specialization in Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources at Wageningen University and Research, in the Netherlands (2019). Before his stint at the DPBG, he worked as a Science Research Assistant for almost two years at the Philippine Rootcrops Research Center. He handled various research such as the selection of superior parental lines for cassava breeding, characterization of taro germplasm collection, and yield trials of different sweetpotato genotypes. Currently, he teaches Plant Breeding, Plant Genetics, Biotechnology in Plant Improvement, and Experimental Design and Field Plot Techniques. He is also involved in a project titled “National Cooperative Test for Corn” which aims to evaluate the performance of different corn genotypes and select the best-performing genotypes to be released as new cultivars. As a driven faculty and researcher, he aims to upgrade the offering of plant breeding degree programs at VSU, employ modern breeding methods in crop improvement, and use a multi-pronged breeding approach to improve the quality of our crops.