Veedaa Soltani

I’m a final-year Ph.D. candidate in Plant Biology (Laval University) with a strong focus on plant-microbe interactions and sustainable agriculture. Currently, I work as a Research Assistant at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, where I study plant defense mechanisms, beneficial microbes, and advanced techniques (e.g., histochemical staining, qPCR, and metabolite profiling) to promote sustainable crop production. I’m passionate about exploring new opportunities and collaborations that leverage my background in plant-pathogen interactions, microbial assays, and agricultural biotechnology.

2024/06–
current
Research Associate,
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), United States.
Employing yeast from apple flowers to combat fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) in members of the Rosaceae family.

2020/01–
2023/11
Research Assistant,
Centre de recherche et d’innovation des végétaux (CRIV), Université Laval, Canada.
Induction of defense mechanisms in plants using forest tree extracts.

2018/06–
2019/12
Research Assistant,
High-Performance Greenhouse Complex, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada.
Application of biostimulants to enhance the quality, performance, and resilience of strawberry plants.

2018/05–
2018/07
Research Assistant,
FIOINC (Les fraises de l’Île d’Orléans inc.), Saint-Laurent-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, Quebec City, QC, Canada.

2017/11–
2018/05
Research Assistant,
High-Performance Greenhouse Complex, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada.
Investigating the integration of cucumbers’ adaptive capacity to environmental stresses.

2020-2025 Ph.D Plant Science and Biology,

Thesis: Novel Plant Protection Strategies: The Efficacy of Forest Tree Extracts and GRAS Salts in
Combating Pseudomonas syringae in Arabidopsis and Tomato.
Université Laval, Quebec, Canada
2018-2020 MSc. Plant Science and Biology,

Thesis: Effects of biostimulants on soil microbiota, plant development, crop productivity and fruit quality.
Université Laval, Quebec, Canada