Knowledge
across generations

When Milena Ouzunova joined KWS, some of today’s common breeding technologies were still in their infancy. Retiring after 28 years, she names pioneering developments and emphasizes the importance of teamwork, including for knowledge transfer.

Milena Ouzunova could brag. She could single out the milestones in applied breeding technologies for corn and oilseeds as achievements in her own career – after all, she has been in charge of the unit at KWS for 15 years and has been with the company for almost twice as long. One such milestone was molecular markers, which speed up breeding. Or genomic selection, a game changer in the application of molecular markers in plant breeding. Since the beginning of the 2010s, it has enabled breeders to make even more precise and earlier predictions about which plants are suitable for variety development, with the result that many field trials can be eliminated thanks to pre-selection. And then there was the world’s first use of doubled haploid technology in corn. Sure, Milena names these accomplishments. But she doesn’t give herself the credit, but instead sees the milestones as a team success.

When she came to KWS on January 1, 1997, this diverse team of now 65 colleagues from 15 nationalities did not exist. Milena joined the company back then to build its capabilities in the field of applied breeding technologies for corn. Her position was called Project Manager Molecular Markers. “This technology was still something very new. It was exciting for me to persuade and win over the breeders.”

New colleague and now her successor

KWS created a new position for that – and this is when Silke Wieckhorst came into the picture. She grew up on a farm, trained as a technical assistant in plant breeding and, after studying agricultural biology, was a doctoral student at the Technical University of Munich at the time. Silke heard about the prospective new career from a current KWS colleague and was very interested – because she was working on breeding technologies for sunflowers.

“Silke was extremely motivated to forge ahead in this field and apply new technologies from corn to her specialist area,” says Milena. She saw that Silke had what it took to be her successor early on: “It’s extremely important to identify and develop potential managers at an early stage.” Be it through further training or by delegating responsibility. “Ultimately, it’s all about learning by doing.”

Indeed, Silke took on her first management responsibility in 2014, just four years after being hired. Another five years on, Silke was heading her first working group with several scientists, which dealt with breeding technologies for sunflower and sorghum, as well as research into inducer and trait integration. And now, another five years later, she took over the reins from Milena in October. One group will become seven, which she will lead from now on and whose work will include marker applications, quantitative genetics, breeding informatics, native traits and genome research. The handover was initiated at the start of the new fiscal year and lasted several weeks. “Milena was a great help,” recalls Silke.

The importance of team spirit

Of course, just a few weeks was not long enough for Milena to pass on her knowledge from 28 years of industrial research and as an honorary professor at the Technical University of Munich since 2020. But she doesn’t have to, either. “It’s a continuous process. Silke and I have worked together for 14 years now. Thanks to the spirit of collegiality and open communication between us, we’ve always learned from each other – as I’ve done from breeders, other old and new colleagues or in partnerships with universities, thanks to which we’re on the verge of achieving new developments.”

And so Milena left the company in October with mixed emotions, but convinced of the team’s expertise. She’s now looking forward to spending time with family and friends in Germany and her native Bulgaria. Yet: “Once a researcher, always a researcher. I’ll keep on doing some things on a small scale.” Her teaching at the Technical University of Munich is one of them, and she will also continue working for KWS on specific projects and meet her colleagues again from time to time. Of course, she does not omit to mention them when summing up her career: “Looking back, I’m proud of the milestones – but most of all of my team.” |