Vera Velasco is the Senior Research Associate for Greenhouse Operations at University of Toronto - Mississauga. She received her BSc in Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of the Philippines where she characterized the genetic differences among several accessions of the Pili tree (Canarium ovatum) under the supervision of Dr. Merlyn Mendioro. She received her PhD in Plant Biology at McMaster University. During her doctoral studies with Dr. Elizabeth Weretilnyk, she investigated the acclimation of Arabidopsis and Eutrema to phosphorus and sulfur deficiencies. Vera was also a postdoc in the Department of Biology at the University of Toronto in Mississauga with Dr. Ingo Ensminger where she studied the physiology and transcriptome of various Douglas-fir varieties under extreme climatic conditions.
Vera grew up in a barrio in the Philippines where a career in science is unheard of and scientists are regarded like unicorns and mermaids. She took biology as a pre-med in university but fell in love with the complexity of plant processes discussed in third-year plant molecular biology and biochemistry. Thanks to the guidance and support of Vera’s undergraduate and graduate thesis advisors, her fascination with how plants live in many different environments grew deeper. She is currently investigating plant responses to abiotic stressors such as nutrient limitation and extreme drought and heat episodes. Vera hopes to contribute to developing tools and strategies for a healthy flora amidst climate change.
Apart from plant science, Vera is also passionate about helping the Filipino-Canadian community and has co-founded the Filipinos in Canada- Academics, Researchers and Scholars (FiCARS) association.