Our Team

Benzon Lorenzana

Head of Cereals & Pulses Research North America

Benzon leads LCS’s Cereals and Pulses breeding programs in North America. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in Applied Plant Sciences, specializing in plant breeding and molecular genetics from the University of Minnesota.  He has 14 years of research management and leadership experience.

His expertise and vision drive innovation in plant sciences, helping LCS develop excellent varieties that meet farmers’ needs.

Andy Chen

Wheat Breeder

Andy is the wheat breeder of LCRC. He did his M.Sc. in wheat breeding with the late Prof. Alireza Navabi at the University of Guelph, where he established a high-throughput phenotyping pipeline for winter wheat. He was then awarded a four-year scholarship to study at the John Innes Centre with Prof. Cristobal Uau,y where he ran one of the first transgene-free gene-edited wheat field trials in Europe.

He aims to leverage the genomic expertise of Limagrain to deliver superior spring wheat cultivars for Western Canada and the Northern Plains.

Jaenet ter Schure

Pulse Breeder

Born in the Netherlands, Jaenet attended Wageningen University & Research. She obtained her degree in Molecular Plant Breeding. She then interned with Limagrain, working on pea genetics, uncovering multiple markers. She transitioned into the role of Molecular Breeder for pulses and, after two years, moved to Canada, where she’s now bringing her European expertise to the pulse market in Western Canada.

In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing and cooking.

Tim Van Steenbergen

Research Station Manager

Timothy leads the Research Station operations for variety testing in Western Canada and the Northern Plains of the US. He graduated from the University of Guelph with a B.Sc. in Honours Agriculture.

Before joining LCRC, he grew up on a farm in Southwestern Ontario and was managing a broiler breeder poultry farm in Saskatchewan.

Anteneh Feyissa

Pathologist

Anteneh is a plant pathologist at LCRC who specializes in the evaluation of early-generation materials and registration trials to enhance disease resistance.

With a Ph.D. in plant sciences and multiple years of experience in researching encompassing germplasm screening, pathogenic diversity analysis, and the identification of disease resistance-associated QTLs, Anteneh brings a wealth of knowledge to his role.

Shaoming Huang

Breeding Support Scientist

Shaoming joined LCRC as an assistant breeder in May of 2023. Before this, he completed an 8-month post-doc as well as earning a PhD focused on enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in Canadian field pea crops at the University of Saskatchewan.

In his leisure time, Shaoming enjoys playing basketball and DIY home projects.

Mahie Thakur

Admin

Mahie Thakur is originally from Chandigarh, India, and has lived in Canada since 2010. She started her career in financial services with CIBC before moving into municipal government as a Finance Official. She also served as Director at a government-funded organization in Saskatoon focused on advocacy, feminism, and gender equity. Building on her background in finance, public service, and community leadership, Mahie joined our team in an administrative role in June 2024.

She holds a B.Sc. in Botany, Zoology, and Chemistry, a postgraduate degree in Biotechnology specializing in Industrial Microbiology, a degree in Computer Applications, and an MBA.

Outside of work, Mahie enjoys traveling, dancing, and cooking. She aims to explore as many countries as possible, having already visited more than two dozen.

Shayla Grant

Field Operations Lead

Originally from Fox Valley, SK, Shayla moved to Saskatoon to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Saskatchewan. As a Field Technician, her responsibilities encompass organizing seed lab activities, collecting PBR data, and overseeing all plot-related tasks, including seeding, spraying, and harvesting.

Outside of work, Shayla loves reading and spending time with her husband and two dogs.

Mohsen Ghamari

Field Operations Supervisor

Mohsen supports field operations, contributing to the planning and execution of trials. He holds a Master’s degree in Plant Sciences from Iran and brings over four years of experience running agricultural research trials in Western Canada. He also recently completed a Master’s in Biostatistics at the University of Saskatchewan, with a focus on data processing and statistical modeling.

Delanie McEvoy

Nursery Technician

Delanie McEvoy, originally from Martensville, Saskatchewan, earned a B.Sc. in Biology with Honours, followed by an M.Sc. in Biology, specializing in molecular and cellular plant biology. She joined LCRC in 2025 as a pathology associate and is now our nursery technician. In her role, Delanie supports pathologist Anteneh Feyissa and manages the disease nursery. Outside of work, she enjoys knitting, crocheting, and watching great movies.

Prashanth Reddy Beeram

Field Technician

Prashanth holds a Master’s degree in Seed Science and Technology from Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture and a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. After relocating from India, he completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Land Management at Fleming College in Canada. With over four years of experience in seed production, field research, and crop management, he previously worked with Limagrain India, supporting hybrid maize seed production and large-scale field operations. In his current role, Prashanth contributes to field testing, including seeding, spraying, plot maintenance, and phenotyping of advanced varieties for registration and plant breeders’ rights, while ensuring high standards of pure seed production. Outside of work, he enjoys playing cricket and spending time with his family.

Andrew Ellerman

Field Technician

Coming soon

Mallory Dyck

Greenhouse Specialist

Mallory Dyck grew up in Saskatoon, where she attended the University of Saskatchewan and has a B.Sc. in Renewable Resource Management. She worked in the Plant Science Department at the University of Saskatchewan for five years with the Cereal and Flax Pathology group as a Research Technician and furthered her career at a cannabis production facility.

At LCRC, she is a member of the Early-Gen team and works mainly at the greenhouse on breeding projects such as crossing and genotyping.

Abinash Subedi

Breeding Technician

Abinash, originally from the hilly region of Nepal, moved to Saskatoon in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in Soil Science at the University of Saskatchewan. 

His master’s research focused on developing a novel protocol to utilize the radioactive carbon-11 (C-11) isotope for in situ imaging of lentil root systems, marking the first successful implementation of this technique at the university. 

At the LCRC Plant Production Hub, he coordinates indoor plant breeding and production activities, including planting, managing growing conditions, conducting pollinations, harvesting, and shipping seeds. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, biking, traveling, and hiking.

Mary Dufie

Breeding Technician

Originally from Ghana, Mary Dufie relocated to Saskatoon, SK, from Dresden, Germany. She holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture and an M.Sc. in Tropical Forestry from the Technical University of Dresden.

Mary brings extensive experience in plant breeding, tissue culture, and seed and greenhouse operations. As a Breeding Technician, she manages indoor plant production and breeding workflows, coordinating schedules, growth conditions, pollinations, harvests, and seed logistics to meet program targets.

Her role combines project tracking with hands-on technical expertise, including tissue culture, media preparation, and time-sensitive sample collection, while supporting broader breeding activities. In her free time, she enjoys reading and exploring nature.