Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center

Samikshya is a Ph.D. student in Horticulture Sciences at the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center. Her doctoral research focuses on improving the flavor and phytonutritional content of vegetable crops, with a major emphasis on tomatoes, by modulating environmental parameters. Specifically, her research goal is to understand the effect of modulating greenhouse lighting conditions on bioactive compounds beneficial for human health and explore the physio-biochemical mechanism behind such responses.

Sami has been involved in several organizations at different levels. She is currently president of the Horticulture Graduate Council (HGC). Previously, she held roles such as president of the Association of Horticulturists of Indian Subcontinent (AHIS), secretary for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) at TAMU, GPSG senator for the Department of Horticultural Sciences, and member of several organizations like American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) and American Chemical Society (ACS).

After graduation, Sami aims to engage in research, either in R&D within the industry or as a postdoctoral researcher in academia, with a focus on advancing food quality to promote human health.

Some Recent Recognitions:

• Second position in the graduate oral presentation, 13th Annual Conference, American Council for Medicinally Active Plants (ACMAP), 2024
• Outstanding Graduate Horticulture Student, American Society for Horticultural Sciences (ASHS), 2024
• Aggie Ring Scholarship, The Association of Former Students, TAMU, 2024