This month, we are delighted to introduce Madan Kafle who comes from Nepal. He was part of emPLANT Intake 1 (2018-2020).

He studied at the Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle in France during his first academic year and at the University of Helsinki in Finland during his second academic year.

🌱 Current Role & Career Path

I work as an Associate Research Scientist in R&D team of a multinational company called ProFarm Group at Helsinki station. I work on the testing, development and optimization of the new prototypes of bio stimulants in different crops which enhance plant vigor, stress tolerance and ultimately contribute to the crop yield.

🌍 How emPLANT Shaped His Path

Coming from Nepal, where industrialization is very limited, there is a huge gap between the academia and the industry sector and a lack of career development opportunities for graduates. Being a solution-oriented person, I started looking for a master’s degree that would not only provide great education but also empower me to build a professional career. This quest led me to discover emPLANT and ever since I started dreaming of being part of it.

The great overlap of academia and the industry in emPLANT made it a dream platform for me and helped me bridge the gap that I had in Nepal. Therefore, I consider emPLANT as a major turning point in my life. Frequent industry visits, career workshops, and the great networks largely inspired me and gave me better clarity to make my decision to pursue a career in a company after graduation and most importantly also helped me prepare myself for it. Moreover, sharing a classroom with 19 different nationalities was, undoubtedly, a great multicultural experience which not only taught me about other cultures but also imparted in me a special quality to integrate, adapt and work with a new culture.

Thanks to the possibility to do multiple internships in emPLANT, I did the thesis internship in Boreal plant breeding company Ltd. in Finland and a research internship in BASF vegetable breeding station at Nunhems in the Netherlands which gave me a much-needed professional exposure setting an important cornerstone for my career pathway. As a result of all these preparations and my strong self-belief, I landed on my current job after graduation.

My life wisdom for juniors – have a dream and believe in it, plan and prepare enough for it and never give up until you achieve it.

💬 emPLANT in Three Words

It is very difficult for me to describe emPLANT in 3 words, however, if I have to do so I would say:

• a family of multi-culture, diversity and inclusion
• an incubator for growth
• the two most precious and beautiful years of my life

✨ Fun Fact

Back in Nepal, I was terrible at cooking and I used to hate cooking maybe because I could barely cook anything good enough to eat (even for myself haha….).

Surprisingly, sharing kitchen with a diverse group of international people during emPLANT, gave me motivation to try different recipes, improvise and experiment different things and I gradually started to enjoy cooking and eventually it became one of my favorite hobbies and my perception of cooking changed forever.

Madan Kafle

📍 From Nepal 🇳🇵 → Finland 🇫🇮

🎓 Intake 1 – emPLANT Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Plant Breeding