Christian Schöpke

Dr. Schöpke has worked in the field of plant biotechnology for over 28 years. His past research includes many aspects of plant developmental physiology (cytodifferentiation, somatic embryogenesis, plant regeneration from protoplasts) and genetic transformation of plants. From 1993 - 1999 Dr. Schöpke held a position as Senior Researcher at ORSTOM (Institut Français de Recherche Scientifique pour le Dévéloppement en Coopération). In collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla he led a group of scientists, technicians and trainees involved in the genetic transformation of cassava, rice, tomato, and tobacco. Before joining Cibus, from 1999 - 2000 Dr. Schöpke was employed at the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, where he worked on the genetic transformation of Citrus. He joined Cibus (then Valigen) in 2000. For the last 18 years he directed efforts to create and implement protocols for the application of RTDS to plants. His current focus is on the improvement of cell culture processes through automation. Dr. Schöpke received an M.Sc. in Biology from the Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany and a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the same institution. His doctoral thesis focused on the establishment of a method for the regeneration of plants from protoplasts of Coffea.