The Science of Alt Protein: Bean breeding and genetics for sustainable protein production
Event description
Please join us for our next Science of Alt Protein seminar, featuring Dr. Valerio Hoyos-Villegas, who leads the dry bean breeding and genetics program at Michigan State University. His work focuses on developing high-performing dry bean cultivars that can withstand environmental pressures while delivering strong processing and nutritional quality, including protein, for both industry and consumers.
In this webinar, Dr. Hoyos-Villegas will share insights from his team’s work in dry bean genetics and genomics, statistical and population genetics, and the application of high-throughput phenotyping to evaluate agronomic traits and processing quality.
The seminar will also feature Dr. Karen Cichy, a close collaborator of Dr. Hoyos-Villegas and a Research Plant Geneticist at USDA-ARS. Dr. Cichy’s work focuses on increasing the consumption of beans and other pulses by improving nutritional, culinary, and end-use quality traits—addressing key factors that influence consumer acceptance.
Together, the speakers will highlight how advances in dry bean breeding and genetics can support both agricultural performance and food quality outcomes.
Meet the speakers
Valerio Hoyos-Villegas, PhD
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PLANT BREEDING AND GENETICS
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Valerio Hoyos Villegas leads the dry bean breeding and genetics program at Michigan State University, his program develops dry bean cultivars with high performance, ability to withstand environmental pressures and have high processing and nutritional quality (such as protein) for industry and consumers. His group conducts research in dry bean genetics, genomics and statistical and population genetics as well as high-throughput phenotyping for agronomic traits and processing quality. His approach prioritizes the integration of disciplines for the development of cultivars and generation of innovative solutions in plant breeding while increasing the skills and furthering the careers of my group members. His goal as a scientist is always to generate novel applications and construct skills to improve the processes involved in the plant breeding cycle while generating new knowledge that addresses questions that take the science community closer to the understanding of plant genetics phenomena across species. Dr. Hoyos-Villegas also serves on multiple scientific journal editorial boards, such as Crop Science, The Plant Phenome Journal, and Euphytica. He is also an adjunct professor at McGill University in Canada and Lincoln University in New Zealand.
Karen Cichy
RESEARCH PLANT GENETICIST
USDA-ARS; SUGARBEET AND BEAN RESEARCH UNIT
Karen Cichy is a Research Plant Geneticist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Plant Soil and Microbial Sciences Department at Michigan State University. Dr. Cichy holds a BS degree in Horticulture from Penn State University and MS and PhD degrees in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Michigan State University. She works on dry bean breeding and genetics. Dry beans are a nutrient-dense food, and Dr. Cichy’s primary goal is to increase consumption of beans and other pulses by addressing consumer acceptance via improvements to nutritional and culinary quality traits. She works to develop varieties with superior end-use quality and nutritional quality for use as whole cooked and canned beans and as a flour ingredient in products such as pasta.
Upcoming events
View all events
The Science of Alt Protein: Transforming waste to fungal mycoprotein
Learn how Dr. Wang is developing a foundational biorefinery for converting food waste to fungal mycoprotein for practical food applications.
Proposal Writing Workshop: Tips and tricks for securing alternative protein funding
Join our expert-led workshop designed to help U.S.-based researchers strengthen their ability to secure funding.
SynBioBeta 2026
Bruce Friedrich joins SynBioBeta to make the case for a new way of producing meat—one grounded in science, built for scale, and critical to the future of food.
The Science of Alt Protein: Nature and nurture—Cell lines and media
Discover opportunities for the convergent development of both cell lines and media for cultivated meat.
