Vieira Receives Early Career Award for Soybean Genomics Research

Caio Vieira, soybean breeder (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller)

Caio Vieira, assistant professor of soybean breeding with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, has received the Mary Coker Joslin Early Career Award from the Soybean Genomics Executive Committee, also known as SoyGEC.

“Dr. Vieira’s collaborative mindset and strong networking skills, coupled with a cultivated respect among colleagues, have allowed him to establish a strong research foundation with strong collaborative efforts,” said Paul DeLaune, head of the crop, soil and environmental sciences department for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. “The success he has achieved at this stage of his career has simply been astounding!

“He is more than worthy of this prestigious early career award and we are proud to have him as part of CSES and the Division of Agriculture,” DeLaune said.

The award honors early career scientists who demonstrate leadership and make significant contributions to soybean genomics research. It is presented every two years at the Biennial Conference on Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Soybean, held this year in Madison, Wisconsin.

“This award means a lot, not just to me, but to our whole team,” Vieira said. “It is confirmation that the work we are conducting in Arkansas is relevant to the broader soybean industry. I am fortunate to be part of this community, which has always welcomed and supported me through undergrad, grad school and now as a faculty member.

“I am excited to continue working together to move the industry forward and to help train the next generation of soybean breeders and geneticists,” he said.

The award is named in honor of Mary Coker Joslin, who developed soybean varieties that were considered to be “valuable contributions to soybean growers in the Southeastern U.S.,” according to information from the SoyGEC website, which also notes that Joslin may have been the first female soybean breeder on record.

Vieira joined the experiment station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture, and Bumpers College in 2023 and leads soybean breeding efforts for the experiment station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Vieira recently published a study that provides insight into how soybean plants respond to flooding in the critical early reproductive stage when the plant begins to flower. In 2024, he was honored as Soybean Researcher of the Year at the National Conservation Systems conference.

Please visit the Arkansas Soybean Breeding Program website for more information about Vieira’s current research.