Iowa State University - Bayer University Mentoring Program
Page last updated on: February 21, 2025
The information and application process outlined on this page are exclusively for
Iowa State University (ISU) applicants.
If you are not affiliated with Iowa State University, please contact the designated liaison at your institution to
learn more about available opportunities and the relevant application process.
Bayer Crop Sciences University Mentoring Program is a 1-year mentoring program for curious scientists and engineers in early career stages (graduate student, postdoctoral researchers) in fields related to plant breeding, plant biology, plant phenotyping, gene editing, crop physiology, environmental science, engineering, computer science, & data science/engineering allowing mentees to build relationships, networks and gain experience in the industry.
Program Benefits
- Mentoring: 1-on-1, based on technical fit and soft skill development needs
- Development: Bayer-hosted workshops and seminars
- Networking: Within Bayer & across 20+ North American Universities
- Advancement: Career advancement advice
- Awareness: Build business acumen and develop relationships with industry partner
Information for Applicants
The application deadline for the Bayer University Mentoring Program has officially closed as of Sunday February 2, 2025. At this moment, we are no longer accepting applications.
Participants Summary (2019 ~ 2025)
42 graduate students from 29 Iowa State University faculty research labs participated in the Bayer Crop Sciences University Mentoring Program from 2019-2025. 14 out of 29 (48.3%) of these faculty members are current or former PSI faculty Scholars.
Participant Advisors
PSI Scholar
Non-PSI Scholar
2025 Participants (10 mentees)
(Mentees sorted by last name in ascending alphabetical order)
| # | Name | Major / Department | Advisor | Advised by PSI Scholar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memiş Bilgici | Plant Breeding | Yes | |
| 2 | Venkata Naresh Boddepalli | Plant Breeding | Arti Singh
|
No |
| 3 | Yiling Feng | Plant Biology | Reuben J. Peters
|
No |
| 4 | Vencke Gruening | Plant Breeding | Yes | |
| 5 | Mozhgan Hadadi | Mechanical Engineering | Yes | |
| 6 | Shambhavi Joshi | Mechanical Engineering | Yes | |
| 7 | Chloe (Bitgoeul) Kim | Computer Engineering | Yes | |
| 8 | Xuan Liu | Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering | Yes | |
| 9 | Gustavo Milião | Mechanical Engineering | Carmen Gomez
Jonathan Claussen |
No |
| 10 | Matthew Wendt | Genetics and Genomics | Marna Yandeau-Nelson
|
No |
2024 Participants (11 mentees)
(Mentees sorted by last name in ascending alphabetical order)
| # | Name | Major / Department | Advisor | Advised by PSI Scholar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ephraim Aliu | Plant Biology | Kan Wang
|
No |
| 2 | Mercy Korkor Azanu | Plant Biology | Kan Wang
|
No |
| 3 | Carolina Freitas | Crop Production & Physiology | Yes | |
| 4 | Brianna Griffin | Plant Pathology and Microbiology | Yes | |
| 5 | Leticia Miranda | Genetics and Genomics | Yes | |
| 6 | Ann Karimi Murithi | Genetics and Genomics | Yes | |
| 7 | Tae-Chun Park | Plant Biology | Paul Scott
Thomas Lübberstedt |
Yes |
| 8 | Nasla Saleem | Mechanical Engineering | Yes | |
| 9 | Eliott Smith | Plant Pathology and Microbiology | Aaron J. Gassmann
Brad S. Coates |
No |
| 10 | Haris Variz | Plant Biology | Kyaw (Joe) Aung
|
No |
| 11 | Thomas Young | Plant Biology | Yes |
2023 Participants (6 mentees)
(Mentees sorted by last name in ascending alphabetical order)
| # | Name | Major / Department | Advisor | Advised by PSI Scholar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarah Jones | Agronomy | Yes | |
| 2 | Zakayo Kazibwe | Genetics Development and Cell Biology | Diane Bassham
|
No |
| 3 | Kyle King | Agronomy | Yes | |
| 4 | Yue Liu | Agronomy | Yes | |
| 5 | Ashlyn Rairdin | Agronomy | Arti Singh
|
No |
| 6 | Dandan Zhang | Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology | Gustavo Macintosh
|
No |
2022 Participants (6 mentees)
(Mentees sorted by last name in ascending alphabetical order)
| # | Name | Major / Department | Advisor | Advised by PSI Scholar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Chiteri | Agronomy | Arti Singh
|
No |
| 2 | Tanner Cook | Agronomy | Yes | |
| 3 | Matheus Dalsente Krause | Agronomy | William Beavis
|
No |
| 4 | Yawei Li | Interdepartmental Genetics & Genomics | Yes | |
| 5 | Yang Qiao | Statistics | Yes | |
| 6 | Brian Zebosi | Genetics, Development and Cell Biology | Erik Vollbrecht
|
No |
2020 Participants (7 mentees)
(Mentees sorted by last name in ascending alphabetical order)
| # | Name | Major / Department | Advisor | Advised by PSI Scholar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Javad Ansarifar | Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering | Yes | |
| 2 | Souvik Banerjee | Material Sciences and Engineering | Yes | |
| 3 | Maxwell McReynolds | Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology | Yes | |
| 4 | Siddique Muhammad-Aboobucker | Agronomy | Yes | |
| 5 | Koushik Nagasubramanian | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Yes | |
| 6 | Paul Otyama | Interdepartmental Genetics & Genomics | Steven Cannon
|
No |
| 7 | Zihao Zheng | Interdepartmental Genetics & Genomics | Yes |
2019 Participants (6 mentees)
(Mentees sorted by last name in ascending alphabetical order)
| # | Name | Major / Department | Advisor | Advised by PSI Scholar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Souvik Banerjee | Material Sciences and Engineering | Yes | |
| 2 | Elizabeth Carino | Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology | Yes | |
| 3 | Maxwell McReynolds | Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology | Yes | |
| 4 | Saba Moeinizade | Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering | Yes | |
| 5 | Paul Otyama | Interdepartmental Genetics & Genomics | Steven Cannon
|
No |
| 6 | Zihao Zheng | Interdepartmental Genetics & Genomics | Yes |