Bernice Ngina Waweru, from Kenya, is a fourth-year PhD researcher at the John Innes Centre (JIC), supervised by Professor Cristóbal Uauy. Her work focuses on uncovering the genetic basis of wheat disease resistance by integrating molecular biology, high-resolution phenotyping, genetics, and k-mer–based computational approaches. She analyses large-scale genomic datasets to identify sequence variation underlying yellow rust resistance, particularly at the Yr47/Lr52 locus.

Bernice collaborates closely with partners at Limagrain, BASF, and CIMMYT to develop haplotype-specific molecular assays that support the deployment of beneficial alleles in breeding programmes. Prior to her PhD, she contributed to developing genomic resources for underutilised crops in Africa and worked at the International Rust Phenotyping Platform in Kenya.

She is passionate about collaborative science, mentorship, and advancing resilient, nutritious crops for global food security.