D. Darryl Hudson, PhD

Darryl Hudson was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and raised in a small rural farming community. As such, he has always had a keen interest in farming and agriculture.  He began his undergraduate studies at the University of Calgary and transferred to the University of Lethbridge after getting married in December, 2000.  There he began performing genetic research on plants with Dr. Elizabeth Shultz and Dr. Igor Kovalchuk. This led to a position with Dr. Olga Kovalchuk in the field of cancer research studying the effects of radiation on DNA repair genes in mice using specialized histology, immunocytochemistry and protein biochemistry. In 2005, Darryl began his graduate studies with Dr. Steven Rothstein at the University of Guelph where he received both OGS and NSERC scholarships in support of his research. Currently, Darryl holds a MITACS Elevate Industrial Postdoctoral Fellowship in partnership with Syngenta he continues research on improving rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency. Darryl has proven himself versatile, independent and innovative working in a number of different fields and successfully performing a large number of modern techniques.  These include plant breeding, genetic, molecular biology, protein biochemistry, and bioinformatics analysis as well as designing and engineering custom hydroponic and aeroponic systems for research purposes. While his research experience has been quite diverse, he has dedicated his time to study topics of immense importance to humanity, including cancer, climate change and food production. Darryl is a devoted husband and father of 2, whose hobbies also include enjoying the great outdoors and playing music.