About the 2012 Lecturer | Dr. Candice Gardner

Dr. Candice Gardner is the Research Leader of the USDA-ARS Plant Introduction Research Unit at the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station in Ames, IA, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Iowa State University’s Department of Agronomy. She serves as the coordinator of the Hatch Multi-State NC-7 Project titled “Conservation, Management, Enhancement, and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources.” Her research and administrative efforts focus on developing and securing plant genetic resource collections, capturing useful genetic diversity via germplasm enhancement and new crop development, and improving access to quality information and genetic resource information systems for research community and genebank management use. Her emphasized crop research interests include maize, camelina, pennycress, and canola.

Dr. Gardner supervises the development and analyst leads for the GRIN-Global Project, an effective, easy-to-use information management system for worldwide germplasm management needs which will succeed the GRIN database in the U.S. She is also a leader in the public and private cooperative partnership called the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize Project, or GEM. This project evaluates and utilizes the phenotypic and genomic diversity of exotic maize germplasm, providing introgressed germplasm and knowledge to support genetic diversity research and diversifying the genetic base of U.S. maize production.

Her professional activities include serving as the Past Chair of the C-8 Division of the Crop Science Society of America and President of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops. She currently chairs the “New Crops” Crop Germplasm Committee.