Thomas Navarro Sens

Thomas is a fourth and final year CASE PhD student at the Seung Lab.

His project focuses on developing gene-edited potatoes with improved post-harvest qualities and health benefits. It is mainly supported by the John Innes Centre and BBSRC (UK), with Tropic Biosciences (Norwich, UK) as an industrial partner, and in collaboration with Solynta (Wageningen, Netherlands).

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a major global crop reaching over 370 million tonnes in production and considered to be a key player in guaranteeing food security around the world. Despite its importance, big challenges arise in its breeding – particularly improving nutritional traits.

This project will take Thomas on a vast journey of fundamental and applied knowledge from tuber development to starch characterisation and sugar metabolism in this important crop.

Through modern breeding tools, he ultimately aims to contribute to the development of a healthy, improved potato capable of reaching the plates of millions of people across the world.

Born from a French mother and Mexican father and proud of his mixed heritage, Thomas grew mostly in Mexico where he completed a B. S. in Biotechnology Engineering at the Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM), Mexico City Campus, in 2018, with a year abroad (2017-2018) at the University of Tampere, Finland.

After completing his studies, he worked in industry for Tropic Biosciences from 2019 to 2021 as a molecular biology and plant pathology laboratory technician in banana crop enhancement. In 2021 he started his PhD and journey into academic research, and has enjoyed being involved with the JIC Community.

Thomas chaired the JIC Student Voice (JSV) for two years, a group that aims to empower students whilst catering to their social well-being. He is currently the student representative of JIC’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee. Thomas has also taken part in science communication and outreach events, as well as being an active member of the NBI LGBTQ+ Working Group. Outside of science, he loves dancing and outdoor activities.