Welcoming Postdoc Kriti Tyagi

Kriti Tyagi Headshot

Kriti Tyagi is one of the newest members of the Ranjan lab in the Department of Plant Pathology, but she’s no stranger to Ashish Ranjan’s work. “I’ve been following his work for quite some time now,” Kriti said, “and we used to meet at conferences. I’d hear his talks and the University of Minnesota has a great reputation.” It’s this connection that brought Kriti from her PhD at the National Institute of Plant Genome Research, a prestigious research institute in Delhi, India, to Saint Paul to research  in the Ranjan lab. 

“Mainly what got me into plant pathology is that India, where I’m from, is an agricultural state and most of our resources are oriented towards agriculture,” Kriti explained. “One of the major problems is that we have great losses in agriculture because of the diseases in different crop species. Back there I wanted to do this because I want to help the farmers. This is a way to help the farmers, by getting, you know, ways to protect the plants and help them grow better plants. That way I can do good for my country and other countries, like here.”

It’s with this spirit of excellence for the purpose of the greater good that Kriti is working on potato disease characterization with Ranjan and colleagues. Kriti is involved in two major projects with the Ranjan lab: studies related to interaction between potatoes and Verticillium that cause wilting of potato plants, and identifying and characterizing the strains of  bacteria Streptomyces sps. that causes common scab of potato. Both projects include molecular characterization and seeking methods of protecting against infection. 

After gaining valuable experience as a postdoc in the Ranjan lab, Kriti plans to work to be appointed as an assistant professor. She hopes to be part of a positive change in which more women take science jobs, and in which more science jobs are available to women. “There should be more women in science,” she told departmental communications. “I’m seeing more women here, but in India or similar countries there are some women in science, but there should be more opportunities available for them.” She sees women in science as beneficial in multiple ways: “It’s not just about earning a particular amount of money, but about having that learning experience.”

Kriti also offered advice for younger people interested in science about how to find connections and opportunities. “For research, you can start by finding a role in a good lab or a closely related field. We have good labs now all over the world that work in this area, with great developments, so start looking on the Internet.” She also elaborated on building connections, adding, “In our profession, you have to be social. You have to interact with people, attend the conferences, and know what is happening around the world. Then you can decide what could be a better path for you. Even in plant pathology you have different paths to follow and you can choose among them. You need to be social and socially active with people to decide what you want.”

Ranjan adds, “Kriti has the motivation and expertise to further research in molecular plant pathology, making her a great fit in our lab. I look forward to researching with her and understanding the intricacies of plant-microbe interactions.”