Title: Associate Professor
Company: North Carolina State University
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
Trino Ascencio-Ibáñez, PhD, associate professor at North Carolina State University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in academia.
With over three and a half decades of experience, Dr. Ascencio-Ibáñez has established a successful career in education, specializing in plant-virus interaction. He has served as an associate professor at North Carolina State University since 2017 and has been the owner of Ascefran LLC since 2008. As a professor, he instructs students in two distinct courses: experimental biochemistry and the biochemistry of gene expression. He currently holds three grants and is actively pursuing more, and his research is primarily funded by the National Science Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He is also deeply involved in the undergraduate program, serving as its director and offering valuable service and advising to both undergraduate and master’s students. He is in the process of drafting proposals for additional PhD positions as part of upcoming grant submissions. His prior experience includes serving as an assistant professor at North Carolina State University from 2009 to 2017 and as auxiliar de investigación at CINVESTAV Unidad Irapuato from 1988 to 2000.
Dr. Ascencio-Ibáñez holds memberships with the Virology Society, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, American Society of Phytopathology, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Rotary International. In light of his impressive undertakings, he was honored with the Outstanding Global Engagement Award and the Teaching-Advising Award. Laying a solid foundation for these successes, he earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico in 1985 and a PhD in biochemistry from North Carolina State University in 2006.
Reflecting on his path, Dr. Ascencio-Ibáñez’s interest in plant-virus interactions began while taking his genetics course in biology, where he was drawn to genetic engineering. While working in Mexico as a laboratory manager for a biology group, he became fascinated by viruses and their ability to perform a wide range of functions within a cell despite having minimal genetic material. He takes great pride in his mentorship of over 400 students in undergraduate research, with providing undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct research in his lab being a significant achievement. He attributes his success to the strong sense of duty instilled in him by his parents, who taught him to not only focus on bettering himself but also to contribute to improving the world around him. Both of his parents were educators and physicians, setting a high standard for him to follow, and their influence has instilled in him a deep commitment to hard work and giving back to others.
In the coming years, Dr. Ascencio-Ibáñez aspires to achieve full professorship, with plans to apply for it this year. He also desires to continue making significant contributions and create a lasting legacy. To begin this journey, he aims to establish a foundation to support students and hopes to see it grow. From an educational perspective, he plans to secure a grant to establish a sustainable undergraduate research program within his department. Scientifically, his goal is to develop plants that are resistant to a broad range of viruses, which is the primary focus of his current research. He advises aspiring professionals to find their passion and purpose as early as possible but emphasizes that it is okay if these take time to discover.
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