Elena K. Khlestkina
AFFILIATION
Director of the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Genetic Resources – VIR (St.Petersburg, Russia)
EDUCATION
1998 – Novosibirsk State University, Biologist
ACADEMIC DEGREES
2002 Candidate of biological sciences
2011 Doctor of biological sciences
2016 Professor
AWARDS AND DIPLOMA
2012 – Winner of the competition among the young doctors of science for the grant of the President of the Russian Federation
2012 – 1st prize winner among young scientists (by the Government of the Novosibirsk region)
2010 – L’OREAL–UNESCO fellow (for young women in science)
2010 – Lavrentiev competition winner (by SB RAS)
2008 – The Science support foundation fellow (for young scientists)
2007 – Winner of the competition among the young candidates of science for the grant of the President of the Russian Federation
2007 – Prize and Medal «The phenomenon of life» after V.I. Korogodin in Genetics
2007 – Diploma of the Department of Biological Sciences, RAS
2006 – Lavrentiev competition winner (by SB RAS)
2005 – Diploma of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
2005 – INTAS fellow
MEMBERSHIP IN SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES AND EXPERT COMMITTEES
А member of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation
A member of the Presidential Council for Science and Education
A member of the Presidium of the Russian Society of Genetisicts and Breeders
A member of the Federal roster of experts in scientific and technical sphere of the Russian Federation.
EUCARPIA (European Association for Research on Plant Breeding) member.
MEMBERSHIP IN EDITORIAL BOARDS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Editor-in-Chief of the PROCEEDINGS ON APPLIED BOTANY, GENETICS AND BREEDING
Editor-in-Chief of the PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BREEDING journal
A member of the Editorial Council of the VAVILOV JOURNAL OF GENETICS AND BREEDING
A member of the Editorial Council of the Vavilovia journal
A member of the Editorial Board of CEREAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
A member of the Editorial Board of the HEREDITAS journal
A member of the Association of Science Editors and Publishers (ASEP)
A member of the Editorial board of the TURKISH JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
IDENTIFIERS
ResearcherID: T-2734-2017
KEY WORDS
cereals, gene function, genetic diversity, genetics, genome editing, genomics, legumes, molecular-genetic bases of plant breeding, molecular genetics, nutritional phenotyping and chemotyping, personalized selection, plant antioxidants, plant genes, potato, transcriptomics, wild relatives
MAIN RESEARCH RESULTS (last 5 years)
Elena Khlestkina is a Russian leading scientist in plant molecular genetics. Her research projects are aimed on exploitation of plant genetic resources for new breeding trends related to biofortification of various crops and the production of safe and high-quality products for functional and dietary nutrition. Over the past five years, more than 50 genes and QTL associated with the growth and development of wheat, barley and potato plants, resistance to various types of biotic and abiotic stress, and dietary value have been identified and mapped. The efficiency of creating new cereal crop genotypes using marker-assisted selection has been shown for breeding varieties with dietary properties. An optimized protocol has been developed to achieve the high efficiency of CRISPR / Cas-directed barley mutagenesis. For the first time, the possibility of modifying the genome of a non-model barley variety has been shown. The results obtained provide a base for the future accelerated crop breeding with the stress on intravital formation of properties of the end-use products.
Viktor G. Eremin
Director of the Krymsk Experiment and Breeding Station (a branch of VIR), Dr. Biol. Sci., Professor of
RAS.
In 1993 he graduated from the Faculty of Horticulture and Viticulture of the Kuban State Agrarian
University. In 1996 he defended a Ph.D. thesis, and in 2011 his Senior Doctoral thesis entitled “Selection
and creation of peach varieties and rootstocks for intensive cultivation technologies.”
He progressed from Junior Researcher, then Senior Researcher at the Genetic Resources and Fruit Crop
Breeding Department, to the Station Director. In 2006–2007, he combined duties of Director of the
experimental farm of the Station with responsibilities of the Senior Researcher. He became the head of
the Station in 2008
Dr. Eremin guides the scientific and production work of the Krymsk Experiment and Breeding Station; he
is responsible for the implementation of the State Assignment and the production program, he is also in
charge of the rational use of lands assigned to the branch in accordance with their intended purpose,
and of the implementation of measures for their protection. His responsibilities also include observation
of environmental norms and prevention of negative impacts to lands and soils.
He is the Chairman of the Production Activities Development Commission at the Directorate of VIR and
personally supervises the development of such activities at the Kuban, Astrakhan and Volgograd
Experiment Stations (branches of VIR.)
Dr. Eremin is the author and co-author of about 100 scientific publications, including five monographs,
three methodological guidelines and six catalogs. With his participation, four domestic dwarf clonal
rootstock varieties for peach, four www promising varieties of peach and nectarine, and three apple
varieties have been created and patented.
Author ID: 98386
Married, two sons.
+7 (86131) 5-1588
Aleksei A. Zavarzin
Vice Director for Scientific and Organizational Work, Ph.D.
In 1994 he graduated from the Department of Botany of St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU); in 1998
he defended a Ph.D. thesis at the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute.
His research interests include lichen biology and systematics, pedogenesis, symbiotic interactions,
biodiversity conservation, environmental management and management of Protected Areas,
educational technologies.
Prior to joining VIR, he worked at the St. Petersburg State University and in the “Talent and Success”
Foundation (“Sirius” Educational Center).
Dr. Zavarzin is in charge of the strategic development of international activities of VIR and is responsible
for realization of international and all-Russian scientific events.
He interacts with the Department of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, which supervises
international activities, with the Department of Global Problems and International Relations of the
Russian Academy of Sciences, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, as well as
with other authorities engaged in international cooperation, with universities and various educational
institutions.
At VIR, he curates the work of the Projects Supervision Department, the Postgraduate Training
Department, the Library and Publishing Department, the Telecommunications and Information Support
Division, as well as public and mass media interaction issues.
He is the author of 80 publications, including two textbooks and five collective monographs. In 2017, he
was elected Vice Chair of the Commission for Education and Communication of the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Scopus Author ID: 36798149300, Author ID: 137140
Married, son and daughter.
+7 (812) 314-4848
Yulia V. Ukhatova
Acting Scientific Secretary, Ph.D. in biology.
In 2003 she graduated with honors from the Faculty of Natural Science, Geography and Tourism of the
A.S. Pushkin Leningrad State Regional University. (LSU) majoring in Biology and Chemistry and enrolled
in full-time graduate program at VIR. In 2017, she defended a Ph.D. thesis in the area of Agricultural
Plant Breeding and Seed Production entitled “Improvement of cryopreservation methods and
elimination of virus diseases in vegetatively propagated crops”.
Her scientific interests include plant biotechnology, e.g., in vitro culture of vegetatively propagated
crops, apexes cryopreservation and improvement of microplants by various methods.
Since 2002, she has worked in the Laboratory (later Department) of Biotechnology of VIR. In 2017, she
became the Head of the Vegetatively Propagated Crops Sanitation Laboratory set up at VIR.
Dr. Ukhatova maintains interaction with scientific departments of VIR, she is responsible for the
document management for the Scientific Council, performs functions of the secretary of the Scientific
Council of VIR, as well as interacts with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of
Agriculture, RAS and “Nauka” Association of State Scientific Centers concerning scientific and
organizational issues.
Scopus Author ID: 57193602784, Author ID: 784747
Married, two sons.
+7 (812) 571-9093
Elena N. Kantemirova
Acting Director, Volgograd Experiment Station (a branch of VIR).
In 2002, Elena graduated from the Faculty of Natural Geography of the Volgograd State Pedagogical
University with a degree in biology. In 2007, she completed her doctoral studies in botany.
Her research interests encompass plant geography and floristics, plant taxonomy, plant ecology, plant
protection, plant resources, ornamental plant growing, fruit growing and nursery farming.
In 2003-2007, Elena worked as an assistant at the Department of Botany and Methodology of Biology
Teaching at the Volgograd State Pedagogical University. In 2007-2011, she occupied a Laboratory
Head position at the Botanical Garden of the Volgograd State Pedagogical University. In 2011-2017,
she was engaged in the ornamental and berry planting material production business, and in 2017 she
worked as a researcher in the Scientific Department of the Volgograd Regional Botanical Garden.
In November 2017, she won the competition for the position of Director of the Volgograd Experiment
Station (a branch of VIR).
Elena supervises the scientific and production work of the branch; she is in charge of the rational use
of lands assigned to the branch in accordance with their intended purpose, for the implementation of
measures for their protection, for observing the requirements of environmental norms and preventing
negative impacts to lands and soils.
She is the author of publications in the “Volga Region Ecological Bulletin” and “Proceedings of the
Volgograd State Pedagogical University”.
Married, one son.
+7 (84479) 6-1638