New Hire Announcement – Welcome, Dr. Radin Sadre!

Jan. 30, 2023
Dr. Sadre smiling overlooking a greenhouse

New Hire Announcement – Welcome, Dr. Radin Sadre!

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Radin Sadre will be joining HCS in March 2023 as an Assistant Professor of Plant Bioengineering and Synthetic Biology at The Ohio State University!

Department Chair, Dr. Doug Karcher, summed up our collective excitement best: “Dr. Sadre brings unmatched capabilities in innovative molecular biology and biochemistry. Her publication record, including several high-impact papers as a post-doc researcher at Michigan State University is impressive. We expect her research at Ohio State to help develop and enhance foods that translate to improved human health outcomes. She will be great fit as the newest member of Ohio State’s, “Foods For Health” Discovery Theme team”.

Currently, Dr. Sadre is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University where she previously was also affiliated with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) and the Department of Horticulture. In East Lansing, she focused on the biosynthesis of a wide range of plant natural products including alkaloids, terpenoids and flavonoids for applications in medicine, food, agriculture, and bioenergy. Prior to these roles, Dr. Sadre was a researcher and instructor at RWTH Aachen University (Germany) and independently collaborated with Syngenta Jealott's Hill International Research Centre (UK).  She received her Dipl.-Biol. (MSc) and Dr. rer. nat. (Ph.D.) from the RWTH Aachen University (Germany). Her doctoral thesis focused on the biochemistry and engineered accumulation of the antioxidant vitamin E in rapeseed (Canola) oil for human health. 

Over the course of her career, Dr. Sadre "built a unique and multidisciplinary expertise that spans molecular biology, biochemistry, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and analytical chemistry". She has also served as a research mentor to dozens of bright young students and plans to advise many more.

Some core areas Dr. Sadre plans to focus on at Ohio State are summarized below:

  • Research
    • Leading a vibrant research program focused on plant metabolic engineering and synthetic biology
    • Forming & pursuing interdisciplinary collaborations to further develop foods with enhanced health benefits
  • Teaching
    • Furthering graduate student education by leading several plant biology related courses + advising & mentoring graduate level researchers

This is quite a variety of high-impact responsibilities and we could not be happier to bring Dr. Sadre on board for this exciting task! Luckily, she had a minute to step away from the lab and give us a brief glimpse into her thoughts...


What are you most looking forward to about this next step in your career?

I am very excited about joining the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science and the interdisciplinary Foods for Health Discovery Theme. I think Ohio State offers a great environment to establish my team focusing on plant natural products and biotechnological solutions for human health and well-being and contribute to the university’s mission.

What are some of your initial plans for your 1st year with HCS?

My initial plans for the 1st year include getting to know my colleagues, identifying, and pursuing funding opportunities, developing professional collaborations, starting to set up my laboratory and building a team.

What initially sparked your interest in plant bioengineering & synthetic biology?

The catalyst for my interest in plant metabolic engineering and synthetic biology was a lecture on plant biotechnology for a healthy world population that I attended as an undergraduate student at the RWTH Aachen University in Germany. Plant biotechnology holds the realistic potential to make a positive difference in this world. This inspired me to pursue a MSc degree with a major in molecular biology, followed by my PhD research in plant biochemistry/biotechnology and postdoctoral research on the discovery and production of diverse high-value plant natural products. 

What have been a few highlights of your career so far?

My top highlights are linked to the people I met in my professional journey so far, especially the mentors who offered me the space to grow as researcher, mentor, and teacher and encouraged me to pursue my own ideas. Here are a few of my research highlights: the discovery of an unusual pathway in an endangered tropical tree species producing the anti-cancer compound camptothecinsynthetic biology for efficient production of high-value biomaterials and the development of a metabolomics-guided approach that can advance the biotechnological production of therapeutic drugs.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time outdoors, usually combined with nature photography. I love the arts in general - music in particular - and creating and testing new cooking recipes.


We look forward to watching Dr. Sadre continue to grow in this role & seeing the impact she will have in developing & enhancing foods for health through interdisciplinary efforts. We hope you'll join us in welcoming her with open arms into the vibrant Ohio plant bioengineering community!