Aira Janella L. Elec was born on November 14, 1997, in Calamba, Laguna Philippines. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Biotechnology, majoring in Crop Biotechnology specializing in Plant Breeding from the University of the Philippines Los Baños in 2019. Immediately after graduation she took and passed the licensure examination for agriculturists in the Philippines and served as a University Research Associate I in projects funded by the Department of Science – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) and the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR). She presented a handful of research papers and posters on the Validation of Chalcone synthase gene using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) for Red Blush Peel Formation in Mango (Mangifera indica L.) and CGUARD (Corn Germplasm Utilization through Advanced Research and Development) germplasm maize genetic diversity analysis in local organizations and won several distinguished awards.
In September 2021, she was admitted to the Graduate School, University of the Philippines Los Baños taking up a Master of Science in Plant Breeding minor in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. At present, she is concurrently serving as a full-time University Research Associate I under the Cereals Section at the Institute of Plant Breeding and pursuing graduate studies at the same university.
She is a member of the Crop Science Society of the Philippines, Philippine Association of Agriculturists, Junior Researcher’s Forum of the Institute of Plant Breeding, and an active student leader and volunteer in the Graduate School Student Council of the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
Her research studies involved corn for the identification of heterotic groupings for hybrid development, molecular assessment of inbred lines for purity testing using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers, and addressing nutrition issues simultaneously providing impetus to corn improvement in the Institute of Plant Breeding. Her goal is to develop promising corn varieties that can withstand biotic and abiotic stresses in response to climate change and help attain food security amidst any scenario in the future, particularly in her country, the Philippines.
