Statistics, data science, people skills—plant breeders are quietly some of the most multidisciplinary professionals in science today.
Jaci Benson McRoberts of Bayer would know. She led Bayer’s first-ever gene editing project with commercial intent, helping bring a theoretical concept to real greenhouse plants. But she’s quick to deflect credit. “Our trait discovery scientists were the ones who moved the concept into plants,” she says. “My role was to ask—how do we take this edit and frame its value in a new genome editing environment? What can we learn that really helps shape the future of this?”
For her, leadership is less about hierarchy and more about momentum. “The ideas that keep bubbling up—the ones you can’t stop thinking about? That’s your signal,” she says. “If others get excited too, you’ve probably found your moment.”
Named a National Association for Plant Breeding (NAPB) Early Career Scientist Award recipient, she’s become known for something that can’t be coded into an algorithm: the ability to make others want to be better. Her approach to mentorship? Inclusive. Mutual. “Even if you’re new to a role, your perspective is valid,” she says. “You don’t have to wait to be a mentor.”
And she has advice for women in ag and tech: stop code switching. “Don’t change your hair, your clothes, or your voice to fit in. Be who you are.”
When asked what she hopes her daughters will remember about her career, she doesn’t hesitate. “That I pursued my passion with a mindset of abundance. That I gave to my family, my community, and my colleagues—and that I believed in ‘health for all, hunger for none.’”
The award, she says, is not just about recognition. It’s about expanding the idea of what a breeder can be. “You can be in data science. You can lead cross-functional teams. You can rewrite the playbook.”
And if her story is any indication, you can do it all without compromising who you are.
