Dr Thi Mai Huong To

Dr Thi Mai Huong To is an Associate Professor in Biology and currently the Deputy Director of the Direction of Research, Innovation, and International Affairs at the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH). She holds an Engineering degree from Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and earned her Master’s, MBA, and PhD from the University of Burgundy in France, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). With more than 15 years of experience in plant sciences, she has been at the forefront of research on rice genetic diversity and functional genomics. Dr Huong leads efforts to advance climate-resilient agriculture through the use of cutting-edge gene-editing technologies. Her work deciphers regulatory mechanisms of root system architecture under abiotic stress, and the molecular adaptation of rice to low phosphate availability, contributing to the development of nutrient-efficient, methane-reduced rice varieties. By bridging discovery with real-world applications, she promotes sustainable and low-emission agriculture for a climate-smart future.

Her initiative integrates advanced gene-editing technologies with digital agriculture to reduce methane emissions from rice cultivation while improving resilience and productivity. By targeting genes that regulate carbon allocation and root–microbiome interactions, her work aims to develop next-generation rice varieties with enhanced drought tolerance and nutrient-use efficiency. This initiative combines metagenomic profiling, UAV monitoring, and AI analytics to enable the real-time detection of emission hotspots and create robust MRV systems for low-emission rice fields. Her approach establishes a new model for climate-smart, sustainable rice production and opens pathways for farmers to access future carbon-credit markets.