I was born in the Philippines and the youngest in the family. I was exposed to agriculture since childhood and my father is a rice farmer but I am the only one among the six children who pursued career in agriculture. I had my college education from the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, a UP campus popular in agriculture. 

After graduating from college, I worked as a laboratory technician at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) under the Genome Mapping Laboratory of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Department of IRRI. I was assigned to maintain RFLP probes, help in extracting DNA using the Dellaporta method and later was assigned to establish the rice BAC library at IRRI. I got opportunity to pursue graduate studies at Kasetsart University in Thailand and worked on mapping of grain quality traits for my masters. I study further for my PhD and worked on QTL mapping of drought traits in a doubled haploid rice population and the QTL detected were introgressed into KDML105 by marker-assisted selection. 

I am now working as a researcher of National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) and my work is focused on drought resistance in rice. I was appointed as the Technical Support Coordinator of the Integrated Breeding Platform. Aside from that, I previously worked on the improvement of rainfed lowland rice and the implementation of marker-assisted selection in the Mekong region which include institutes from Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. I am also involved in the testing of System of Rice Intensification or SRI with collaborators from Meiji University in Japan.

Education

• B.S. in Biology (Microbiology), University of the Philippines at Los Banos, 1994
• M.S. in Agriculture (Tropical Agriculture), Kasetsart University, 2000
• Ph.D. in Agriculture (Tropical Agriculture), Kasetsart University, 2007

Non-scientific Interests:

• farming, photography, running, singing, reading books, listening to music
  

Lanceras JC, Huang ZL, Naivikul O, Vanavichit A, Ruanjaichon V and Tragoonrung S. 2000. Mapping of Genes for Cooking and Eating Qualities in Thai Jasmine Rice (KDML105). DNA Research 7: 93-101.

Lanceras JC, Pantuwan G, Jongdee B and Toojinda T. 2004. Quantitative Trait Loci Associated with Drought Tolerance at Reproductive Stage in Rice. Plant Physiology 135: 384-399.

Toojinda T, Tragoonrung S, Vanavichit A, Siangliw JL, Pa-In N, Jantaboon J, Siangliw M and Fukai S. 2005.  Molecular breeding for rainfed lowland rice in the Mekong Region. Plant Production Science 8(3): 330-333.

Siangliw JL, Jongdee B, Pantuwan G and Toojinda T. 2007. Development of KDML105 Backcross Introgression Lines Using Marker-Assisted Selection for QTLs Associated with Drought Tolerance in Rice.  Science Asia 33: 207 – 214. 

Wongprasom C, Sirithunya P, Vanavichit A, Pantuwan G, Jongdee B, Sidhiwong N, Siangliw JL and Toojinda T. 2010. Two introgressed quantitative trait loci confer a broad-spectrum resistance to blast disease in the genetic background of the cultivar RD6, a Thai glutinous jasmine rice. Field Crops Research 119 (2-3): 245-251.

Rathmuny Then, Siangliw JL, Vanavichit A, Kasemsap P, Fukai S and Toojinda T. 2011. Effects of Drought Tolerant on Flowering Traits, Panicle Exsertion, Spikelet Sterility and Grain Yield under Rainfed Lowland Conditions. Kasetsart Journal (accepted for pucblication).

Kanjoo V, S Jearakongman, K Punyawaew, JL Siangliw, M Siangliw, A Vanavichit and T Toojinda. 2012. Co-location of quantitative trait loci for drought and salinity tolerance in rice. Thai J of Genetics. 4(2): 126-138.

Kanjoo V, K Punyawaew, JL Siangliw, S Jearakongman, A Vanavichit and T Toojinda. 2012. Evaluation of agronomic traits in chromosome segment substitution lines of KDML105 containing drought tolerance QTL under drought stress. Rice Science. 19(2): 117-124.

Win KM, S Korinsak, J Jantaboon, M Siangliw, JL Siangliw, P Sirithunya, A Vanavichit, G Pantuwan, B Jongdee, N Sidhiwong and T Toojinda. 2012. Breeding the Thai jasmine rice variety KDML105 for non-age related broad-spectrum resistance to bacterial blight disease based on combined marker-assisted and phenotypic selection. Field Crops Research. 137: 186-194.

Toojinda T and J Lanceras-Siangliw. 2013. Advancing Thailand’s Rice Agriculture through Molecular Breeding. Asia Pacific BIOTEC News. Vol. 4. P. 40-43.

Win KM, S Korinsak, P Sirithunya, J Lanceras-Siangliw, W Jamboonsri, T Da, S Patarapuwado and T Toojinda. 2013. Marker assisted introgression of multiple genes for bacterial blight resistance into aromatic Manawthukha MK-75, a Myanmar Basmati-like quality rice variety. Field Crops Research. 154: 164-171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2013.08.002

Manivong P, S Korinsak, S Korinsak, JL Siangliw, A Vanavichit and T Toojinda. 2014. Marker-assisted selection to improve submergence tolerance, blast resistance and strong fragrance in glutinous rice. Thai J of Genetics. 7(2): 110-122.

Kyaw SO, A Kongjaimun, S Khanthong, M Yi, TT Myint, S Korinsak, JL Siangliw, KM Myint, A Vanavichit, C Malumpong and T Toojinda. 2015. Characterization of Myanmar Paw San Hmwe Accessions Using Functional Markers. Rice Science. 22(2):