Rajnish Khanna

i-Cultiver and Stanford University, United States

Abstract Title:

Beyond yield: Why the next breakthrough in human health may begin with a plant

Biography:

Rajnish Khanna, M.Sc., Ph.D., is a plant scientist, photobiologist, entrepreneur, and educator whose interdisciplinary research explores the intersection of agriculture, sustainability, biotechnology, and human health. He is a Visiting Scientist in the Department of Biology at Stanford University, Founder and CEO of i-Cultiver, and adjunct biology faculty at Contra Costa College. His work focuses on translating fundamental discoveries in plant biology into practical innovations for agriculture while exploring how evolutionarily conserved biological mechanisms can inform broader scientific challenges. Dr. Khanna received his Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology from Purdue University and is host of the TerreScience podcast on soil health, planetary health, and consciousness.

Research Interests:

For more than a century, plant science has transformed agriculture through advances in genetics, physiology, and biotechnology. Yet the greatest opportunities for the field may lie beyond its traditional focus on crop yield. As society confronts interconnected challenges in food security, environmental sustainability, and human health, plant science is uniquely positioned to serve as a powerful platform for discovery and innovation. Many of the fundamental cellular processes that govern life are deeply conserved across evolutionary lineages, reflecting a shared ancestry between plants and animals. This conservation creates opportunities to investigate complex biological questions using plant systems that offer experimental accessibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness unmatched in many other model organisms. Insights gained from plant research have the potential to inform advances not only in agriculture, but also in areas ranging from biotechnology and sustainability to medicine and drug discovery. This keynote will explore how emerging research is expanding the boundaries of plant science through studies of cellular signaling, environmental adaptation, plant–microbe interactions, and evolutionarily conserved biological mechanisms. Examples from both published and ongoing research will illustrate how plant-based investigations can generate knowledge with applications extending well beyond the field and greenhouse. By embracing a broader vision, plant science can become more than a discipline focused on increasing yield. It can serve as a foundational science for addressing some of humanity's most pressing challenges, helping to build a future that is simultaneously more productive, sustainable, and healthy.