Heeduk Oh named FFAR Fellow

Heeduk Oh, a doctoral candidate in the NC State Department of Horticultural Science, has been named a Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Fellow for 2022-2025.

The foundation established the FFAR Fellows Program to provide professional development and career guidance to the next generation of food and agriculture scientists to better prepare them for a career in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workforce. The foundation aims to break down disciplinary silos and increase the focus on professional development and essential skills, resulting in more well-rounded graduates.

By providing early career support to graduate students, the program cultivates supportive relationships between graduate students and industry peers to equip students with the skills needed to facilitate their transition to the workforce and prepare future leaders for food and agriculture.

Fellows will be co-mentored over the three-year program by university and industry representatives and engage with their cohort of 20-25 peers in professional development programming both virtually and at the annual one-week residential sessions.

Heeduk received his BS and MS in Horticultural Science at Seoul National University, South Korea. Oh’s PhD research is conducted at the Plants for Human Health Institute, where Drs. Massimo Iorizzo and Penelope Perkins-Veazie are his co-advisors. His research focuses on improving shelf-life of blueberry fruits as part of the VacCAP project.