From Cold Storage to Cultivated Fields: Dr. Wicki’s 20-Year Journey to Redefine Rice
It began with a question: how do you break the yield ceiling of rice? That question, posed over two decades ago, sparked a journey that would stretch across research labs, rice paddies, and policy offices—ending not with applause but with a quiet, determined statement from Professor Emeritus Dr. Wickneswari Ratnam: “I did it because I didn’t want the seeds to remain in cold storage.” At that moment, the weight of a 20-year odyssey revealed itself—a journey that exemplifies the winding, often solitary path of translating research into real-world impact.
A Researcher’s Restlessness
Before founding Nomatech Sdn. Bhd. in 2015, Dr. Wickneswari Ratnam—fondly known as Dr. Wicki—had built a career grounded in academic pursuit, though not without quiet restlessness. A geneticist and microbiologist by qualification, she began her career at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), spending 11 years working on forest genetics. But something didn’t sit right. “I felt I could do more, so I moved,” she said.
She moved to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), where she quickly brought together a multi-institutional team. The mission: improve Malaysia’s rice productivity by developing high yielding varieties through crossbreeding.
Read more about the journey at this link >>>> From Cold Storage to Cultivated Fields
