The 2025 winner of the Plant Breeding Academy’s Outstanding Student Award is Sujit Tha, Head of Plant Breeding at CN Seeds Ltd in the United Kingdom. This prestigious PBA award was presented to Sujit by PBA Director, Jovan Djordjevic, at the ASTA (American Seed Trade Association) Leadership Summit in Washington DC on June 9. Jovan added: “At the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy, we try to equip breeders not just with tools, but with clarity and confidence. Sujit Tha’s journey, from a small farm in Nepal to leading plant breeding innovation at CN Seeds, is a great example of what happens when talent meets opportunity. It’s been a privilege to mentor Sujit and watch him transform his program and perspective in real time during Class IX Cohort of UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy.”

Learn more about the 2025 Outstanding Student Award Winner, Sujit Tha on the PBA website, and read the article from Seed World Group featuring their interview with Sujit Tha on his experience in the plant breeding industry and specifically in Class IX of the Plant Breeding Academy Read the full Seed World Article Here >>

Sujit’s PBA Class IX will graduate this September 2025 and the next Davis Plant Breeding Academy class, Class X, will begin in early 2026 in Daivs. The PBA X Application is still open but space is limited; applicants should apply before August 1 to save $1,000. Learn more and apply here: 

PBA X Information & Application