Rex Bernardo, Director
Rex is Distinguished University Teaching Professor and endowed chair in maize breeding and genetics at the University of Minnesota. He obtained his undergraduate degree in the Philippines in 1983 and his Ph.D. in plant breeding from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1988. Rex developed the widely used genomic best linear unbiased prediction or GBLUP procedure in 1994, and most of his work has focused on marker-assisted breeding. Rex teaches graduate courses in plant breeding and in professional skills for scientists as well as an undergraduate course on coffee. He has written two textbooks, entitled Breeding for Quantitative Traits in Plants and Essentials of Plant Breeding. In his leisure time, Rex enjoys playing the acoustic guitar, going tandem biking with his wife, and spending time with their six adult F1 progeny and three F2 progeny.
Albert Radloff, Program Coordinator
Albert, a Ph.D. student in Applied Plant Sciences, coordinates the center's events, scheduling, and committees. His research focuses on the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the botanical insecticide Schoenocaulon officinale (sabadilla) to accelerate domestication and breeding. In the future he aims to expand this research to include other plants with valuable secondary metabolites for medicinal use. Albert earned a B.S. in sustainable cropping systems from the University of Idaho in 2016 and worked for 8 years as a production agronomist, researcher, and director of botanicals before returning to academia. He enjoys reading and spending time outdoors with his dog.
Alyssa Headley, Social Media Manager
Alyssa, who is a Ph.D. student in Applied Plant Sciences, maintains the center's social media presence on X, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Alyssa is advised by Brandon Miller and Jerry Cohen in the Department of Horticultural Science, and her dissertation research focuses on developing a novel approach for propagating hybrid hazelnut for the Upper Midwest. Alyssa obtained her M.S. in Applied Plant Sciences from the University of Minnesota in 2024 and her B.S. in soil and crop science from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 2022. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys exploring Minnesota, cooking, and reading.