Welcome Dr. Soon Li Teh

The Grape Breeding and Enology Program is excited to welcome Dr. Soon Li Teh, the newest faculty member of the Department of Horticultural Science! Dr. Teh will be taking over leadership of the Grape Breeding and Enology (GB&E) program from Dr. Matthew Clark, who served as grape breeder from 2015-2023. 

Dr. Teh is no stranger to the University of Minnesota Dept. of HortSci or to the GB&E program. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 2018, specializing in the characterization of genetic and biochemical resistance to grape powdery mildew. This work in plant breeding and genetics served him well in his subsequent position as a postdoctoral researcher at Washington State University, ultimately leading to his appointment as a research assistant professor there. For the last five years he led the WSU pear rootstock breeding program with a primary focus on developing dwarfing Pyrus rootstocks. He was also instrumental in the WSU apple breeding program, where he developed novel statistical methods in analyzing historical fruit breeding postharvest data.

As the grape breeder for the University of Minnesota, Dr. Teh will focus on developing high quality cold-hardy wine and table grapes for the burgeoning Minnesota industry and the greater Upper Midwest region. Dr. Teh will also join the VitisGen3 project, a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional grant project being administered by the UMN, to continue his work in breeding for disease resistance. 

Dr. Teh’s appointment also includes teaching (HORT 1031 - Vines and Wines) and Extension. His Extension program will be coordinated with Madeline Wimmer (Extension educator) and Andrew Horton (enology specialist) to benefit grape growers, winemakers and producers in Minnesota.

Stay tuned for announcements about stakeholder meetings, Extension events, and field days where you will have the opportunity to welcome Dr. Teh back to Minnesota!