Karla Santos
About Karla Santos
Karla Santos serves as the Senior Scientific Manager for R&D at Benson Hill, where she has worked since 2019. With a strong background in plant biology and over eight years of experience in plant breeding and related fields, she is dedicated to process improvement and mentoring others in her area of expertise.
Work at Benson Hill
Karla Santos has been serving as the Senior Scientific Manager in the R&D Crop Accelerator division at Benson Hill since 2019. In this role, she focuses on advancing crop development through innovative research methodologies. Her work is based in St. Louis, Missouri, where she contributes to the company's mission of enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability.
Education and Expertise
Karla Santos holds a Ph.D. in Agronomy and Molecular Crop Breeding from Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, where she studied from 2010 to 2015. She also earned a Master’s degree in Genetics and Plant Breeding from Universidade Federal de Lavras, completing her studies from 2008 to 2010. Additionally, she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the same institution, graduating in 2008. Her educational background provides a strong foundation for her expertise in plant breeding, phytopathology, and plant transformation.
Background
Before joining Benson Hill, Karla Santos worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at Universidade Federal de Uberlândia from 2011 to 2015, where she focused on advanced research in her field. Prior to that, she spent six years at Universidade Federal de Lavras as a Graduate Research Assistant from 2004 to 2010. These roles allowed her to gain extensive experience in scientific research and development.
Achievements
Karla Santos has accumulated over eight years of experience in plant breeding, phytopathology, and plant transformation. Her work includes significant involvement in field trials, wet lab, and greenhouse environments. She is recognized for her enthusiasm for process improvement and automation in scientific research, as well as her commitment to developing and coaching individuals in the field of plant biology.