High praise for Hy-Gain! - Interview with Vi Shukla - Hy-Gain for smallholders

Interview with Dr Vipula (“Vi”) Shukla of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

BY JITHESH VIJAYAN ASPB
Ambassador and Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Vipula “Vi” Shukla is senior program officer for agricultural research and development (R&D) at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In this capacity she wears many hats. One of her primary roles is identifying research areas and novel technologies in which the foundation can invest its resources to improve productivity for smallholder farmers in developing nations. Before joining the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Vi worked at Dow AgroSciences, first as a scientific leader in discovery (R&D), then in technology licensing and commercialization. As the scientific leader in discovery, her team developed zinc-finger nucleases for precision genome editing in maize. Vi trained as a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Detlef Weigel at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and in the lab of Maarten Chrispeels at the University of California San Diego. For her PhD, she worked on the photosynthetic machinery in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 in the lab of Himadri Pakrasi at Washington University in St. Louis. Vi is a captivating speaker and active participant at science conferences. Her career trajectory from basic biology research at universities to research in an industrial setting to licensing and commercialization to goaloriented philanthropy provides her with a unique perspective on plant biology and its translational power. In a wide-ranging interview for this column, she answered my questions about her career path, described her work and interests, and offered insight and advice.

What are some of the projects currently under consideration or in the works at the Gates Foundation that are exciting to you?

There are several foundation funded programs that, when they were initiated, were considered “crazy ideas” or “moonshots” (e.g., direct nitrogen fixation in cereals, C4 rice). Over time, some of these ideas have advanced and seem less crazy and more real, with plant lines and data. Programs that represent real conceptual breakthroughs in how we think about not just plant biology but also translation into crop breeding and cultivation are exciting. One is the Hy-Gain program, which is developing apomictic sorghum and cowpea. Not only will farmers be able to save seed from self-reproducing hybrids that have higher yield and vigor, but in addition this technology has the potential to change, for the better, how crop breeding and varietal development are carried out.

Source: Luminaries section of the American Society of Plant Biologists’ Nov/Dec 2020 newsletter on pages 14-16. View online from original source

What life experiences led you to choose a career path in industry and later in management?

I started out as a lab technician working in maize genetics and going into the field to do crosses, so the link to agriculture was clear. Also, I think business is in my DNA. Agriculture is a business in which plant science turns into goods and services that people need and want. I liked the idea of my research leading to something tangible and impactful and decided that the ag industry was worth a try. Management is about enabling others to do great work (as opposed to doing it yourself). In industry R & D, I had the experience of participating in programs that spanned disciplines, teams, geographies, and crops. I realized that I enjoyed the big-picture, strategic aspects of ag science and technology more than the operational work. I later took a role within my company on the biotech business side, where I learned by doing licensing, external R&D and technology deal making, and portfolio management. This was great preparation for my work as an investor. I like working in a big, complex system and enabling great people and ideas in the service of important and strategic goals.

What transferable skills did you gain as a researcher that still help you as a program officer?

Strategic and rigorous scientific and technical thinking is just the beginning for anyone in a research-facing role. In addition, clear and compelling communication (written and oral), careful listening, and asking good questions are all essential skills. Strong project management is useful, no matter what your role. Knowing how to build and maintain a professional network based on credibility and integrity is a musthave. And finally, data-driven decision making is the core of it all. This includes decisions about what to do and how to do it, but also decisions about what not to do.

What are some of the important traits and lessons you have learned through the various positions you have held, including your tenure at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation?

The most important trait is to recognize how much you don’t know and be open to learning! Nothing can be done in isolation; we rely on others to enable us to do our best work. Establishing and maintaining respectful professional relationships while holding yourself and others to high standards is critical. The ability to tell a compelling story, present your perspective, and communicate why your idea or plan matters is absolutely essential in a team environment. If you don’t develop an effective voice, grounded in both facts and inspiration, you’re not part of the conversation. When it comes to working environment dynamics, I’ve been in some that I felt were great and others that I found very challenging. I’ve learned that what’s missing or broken from my perspective may be absolutely great for someone else. When I find myself in a tough environment, it’s helpful to step back and try to understand, in a dispassionate way, why it’s tough; only then can I adjust as needed.

Who were some of your mentors, and how did they influence you?

My first science job after undergrad was working as a lab tech for Tim Nelson and Ian Sussex at Yale. They helped me see how cool plant biology is and inspired me to go to grad school. My PhD adviser, Himadri Pakrasi, helped me understand how important it is to do things carefully, with attention to detail. In grad school I also met Joe Varner, who shared his ideas about science as “organized wonder” and “brain candy.” I still view my daily work through that lens! In my postdoc and industry work, I met several wellestablished and generous women in plant biology and ag biotech who helped me navigate in what is, let’s be honest, still a very conservative and gender-biased sector. My former colleague at the Gates Foundation, Rob Horsch, taught me a lot about international development. Being mentored is a gift and, if you’re fortunate, a lifelong experience.

How do you typically spend your work hours? What are the most time-consuming aspects of being a program officer of a philanthropic organization, and what do you find most rewarding?

My time is divided between internal- and external-facing work. On the internal side, I work with my foundation team and leadership on our strategy and how to articulate it (discussions, writing, slides). I also carry out our processes for investments (e.g., summaries, rationales, progress reports, budget reviews). This takes up about 20% of my time and is the operational nuts and bolts of philanthropic funding. The external-facing work is focused on keeping up with the science and identifying, developing, and managing investments in research programs with a network of best-in-class partners. I scan the literature, talk to other investors and funders, go to scientific conferences, and host expert discussions on specific research topics. Once I identify a research area that might be a good fit for our investment thesis and strategy, I work with groups of researchers and inventors to learn more from the experts. If we decide to move forward, I then collaborate with the selected research team to find alignment between their work and our objectives and goals and develop a plan for a proposal. This is an intensive and iterative process—it typically takes a year with the partners and my team (including legal, finance, and so forth) providing feedback, suggestions, and edits along the way. Once a program is funded, the researchers and I have an ongoing dialogue about progress, challenges, breakthroughs, and pivots to keep us in sync. The most time-consuming aspect of my job is also the most fun and challenging—working with experts in a given field to design and provide oversight to a research program that is rigorous, well aligned with our strategic objectives, and appropriately structured, while at the same time pushing the boundaries of innovation, challenging scientific paradigms, and driving us toward real-life, practical impacts for our intended beneficiaries.

What does “work–life balance” mean to you?

For me, work–life balance means carefully managing my time so that when I’m working, I’m working effectively. And when I’m not working, I’m really not working. At work, I don’t try to multitask—I’ve learned that I can only truly, deeply think about one or two things at a time. I use my calendar and scheduling to compartmentalize my working time, being sure to schedule chunks of time for meetings and conversations, desk work, and thinking. If I’m traveling for a meeting or conference, I make sure to preserve one to two hours a day for keeping up with email and calls as needed. I’m very strict about off-work time. I make sure that I protect that time for my friends, family, and hobbies (e.g., fitness, riding my horse) by literally going offline. If I’m traveling for work, I try to keep my daily routine (workouts, meals, off-line time, and so forth) consistent. Off-line time is for “life” and all the things that keep me balanced and sane.

How do you keep up with developments in basic research and your responsibilities as a program officer?

What areas of research in the plant and life sciences are most exciting to you?

I’m personally interested in the different mechanisms that plants use to perceive their environment and then quickly adapt to changes in that environment. I’ve always been fascinated by the plasticity of plant responses to environmental cues. As climate change leads to increased weather volatility and shifts in growing zones, plants will need to tap into that plasticity on a timescale much shorter than evolution typically accounts for in order to maintain resilience.

Our understanding of plant biology has increased exponentially over the past few decades, yet the translation of this knowledge to agriculture has been very slow. In your opinion, what are the major limiting factors?

Academia in the plant sciences doesn’t always incorporate education about agriculture, or even provide exposure to the sector. Budding scientists aren’t exposed to the fundamental concept of farming as a business. This limits the ability of future research leaders to contextualize their scientific work. This limitation is changing, and I hear young scientists asking good, deep questions about agriculture at conferences and courses. Then there’s the “so what?” question. Basic research focuses on knowledge generation, which is essential for any enlightened civil society. However, the question of what that knowledge can contribute to society doesn’t get asked enough in research labs. Hypothesis-driven research poses the question “How does this work?” For ag and any other technology-driven enterprise, one of the follow-up questions should be “How do we put this discovery to work to benefit all of us?” Finally, it’s a fact that research funding determines what people work on. Funding agencies have historically rewarded relatively low-risk programs in plant science that use well-established, genetically simple and tractable model systems. Although these tools have enabled huge advances in our understanding of fundamental biology, the leap from “lab rats” to crops grown in fields is huge. Fortunately, funding trends are starting to recognize this gap and give interested researchers the incentives they need to make their programs more crop facing.

You’ve had a closer look at the difficulties farmers face in underdeveloped and developing nations. What advice would you give to the current crop and next generation of scientists?

Scientists can be great problem solvers! If you want to be part of the solution for farming and agriculture, you need to understand the problems. Unless you’re a farmer yourself, there’s only one way to gain that understanding: listen and learn from those who live it every day. Take every opportunity you can to interface with breeders, growers, agronomists, processors, and distributors. Spend time walking in fields with the people who manage them. Be open to having your preconceived notions trashed.

What suggestions would you provide to younger researchers who are interested in a career path similar to yours?

My career path was not according to some grand plan. I made decisions based on what I was challenged or excited by at the time and seized opportunities when they presented themselves. Don’t be overly prescriptive about what you think your career “should” look like. The training we receive in the lab is certainly important, but it’s the baseline. Communication skills are essential. So are transactional skills like negotiation, finance, information processing, and business acumen. That doesn’t mean you have to go to journalism, business, and law school, but it is important to get exposed to these areas however you can. Finally, most things worth doing today are done in a team environment. Earn your reputation for integrity, generosity, and openness to learning. Be someone who others really want to work with.

High praise for Hy-Gain! - Interview with Vi Shukla