CropDesign N.V. announced today the appointment of Dr. Rindert Peerbolte as Research Director. Dr. Peerbolte joins CropDesign from Advanta Seeds of the Netherlands, where he was Head of Biotech Laboratories.

At CropDesign Dr. Peerbolte will manage the company’s TraitMill program and will report to Dr. Willem Broekaert, Research & Development Director. The TraitMill is CropDesign’s core technology platform and comprises an integrated high-throughput system for gene cloning, plant transformation and plant evaluation.

Dr. Peerbolte has extensive expertise in plant transformation, molecular markers, as well as other molecular and seed quality technologies. He received his PhD in plant molecular biology from Leiden University, and has 15 years of experience in biotechnology and seeds as a researcher and research manager.

CropDesign, based in Gent, Belgium is an agbiotech company focused on the application of functional genomics for improved crop performance, including higher yield, heightened tolerance to stress and better quality. The company also applies its technology in other business areas, including molecular farming. CropDesign applies its technology in rice, wheat and other cereals. Founded in 1998, CropDesign employs 70 people at its research facilities in Gent.