Eugene Kovalenko

Background

About Eugene Kovalenko

My ever-widening interests include all things chemistry, biology, engineering, statistics, computation, and programming. These interests have guided me into my current occupation, industry research. Over the years I have acquired a few letters to my name - B.Sc. in Biochemistry (Honours Co-op Programme) from the University of Waterloo (2011 - 2016) and M.Sc. in Plant Science (Viticulture) from the University of British Columbia Vancouver (2016 - 2019). Nowadays, I divide my passion between evidence-based process / method development, appreciating the life that surrounds us all, and, of course, family and friends. My M.Sc. research focus was investigating the physiological, biochemical, and genetic effects of deficit irrigation and crop load management in white wine grapes in the Okanagan valley. Particularly, characterizing the effects of these management techniques on field-grown Gewürztraminer grapes with respect to the modulation of volatile organic compounds, sugars, and acidity as well as correlating these data with the underlying biology and molecular biology. Ultimately, the goal is to explore deficit irrigation and crop load management as means to improve cultivar-specific flavour and aroma, which are tied closely to the economic potential of wine grapes. Over the years I have developed skills in many laboratory- and field- based disciplines such as analytical chemistry, plant physiology, molecular biology, and biochemistry. I have further refined skills in experimental design for both laboratory-based and field-based projects, statistical analysis, methodology development, and basic programming (R, MATLAB, and Python). Additionally, I have developed transferable skills that include project management, interdisciplinary communication/correspondence, PowerPoint presentations, and public speaking.