Director
Dr. Deborah Henderson
Deborah Henderson has been the Director of the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture (ISH) since 2005 and LEEF Regional Innovation Chair since 2009 at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She received her PhD from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1982, and established E.S. Cropconsult Ltd. in 1989 to offer IPM and research services to both conventional and organic agriculture in the Fraser Valley. Deborah developed an active research program in biological and non-chemical management strategies for pests and diseases to advance agriculture and landscapes towards ecologically sound alternatives. Her research at ISH develops microbial biocontrols and environmentally sound bioproducts in partnership with agricultural industry partners. Her goal is to put more biocontrol options in the hands of growers.
Email: deborah.henderson@kpu.ca
Office: 604-599-3460
Fax: 604-599-3201
Research Team
Lisa Wegener, MSc.
Lisa has been with ISH since July 2009, and has seen the lab grow from a new and empty building, to a buzzing centre of research, industry collaboration and education. Lisa was born and raised in High River, Alberta. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of New Brunswick in 1999, and then moved to Vancouver to complete the Forensic Science Technology program at BCIT. Subsequently, Lisa worked in the Biology section of the RCMP Forensics Lab in Vancouver, but it didn’t take long for her to realize that her calling was not solving crimes, but rather helping agricultural producers solve disease and pest problems. After spending a year working for the BC Blueberry Council on a serious disease issue at the time – Blueberry scorch virus, Lisa completed a Master of Science degree at Simon Fraser University, specializing in Plant Virology. Following that, she worked as a Plant Disease Diagnostician at the University of Guelph, and then returned to BC and continued working with the agricultural industry. Since joining ISH, Lisa’s research interests have shifted from blueberry viruses to molecular identification and mass production of fungal entomopathogens. She is a member of the Canadian Phytopathological Society, and the Professional Pest Management Association of BC. Lisa is an avid cyclist and enjoys commuting to work by bicycle. Time off work is often spent in the mountains camping, canoeing and fishing, or in bad weather brewing beer.
Email: lisa.wegener@kpu.ca
Andrés Torres, MSc.
Andrés has worked at ISH since 2010 and has more than 20 years of experience in the horticulture industry. In 1994, he finished his Agricultural Engineering degree in Ecuador and started working in the Floriculture and Cut Flower industry as a rose grower. In 2002, he completed a Master's Degree in Crop Production and Plant Science at Miyazaki University, Japan. Andrés moved to Canada and started working in the greenhouse industry in 2007. As a horticulturist, he has been a member of the International Horticulture Society since 2000 and the British Columbia Institute of Agrologists since 2012. His expertise and background include Protected Cultivation, Greenhouse Environments, Soilless media, Plant Nutrition and Fertilizers. In his current position, Andrés coordinates greenhouse research trials, many of which are carried out in collaboration with industry partners to promote and create sustainability. Andrés is interested in learning about Plant Factory's and Artificial Lighting.
Email: andres.torres@kpu.ca
Dr. Sepideh Tahriri Adabi
Sepideh has been at ISH since 2016. She completed her Ph.D. and MSc in Entomology (in Ecology and Biological Control respectively) and BSc in Plant Protection (Entomology, Plant Pathology, and IPM) before immigrating to Canada in 2014. She researched at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems’ toxicology lab at the University of British Columbia as a visiting scientist and honorary Postdoctoral Fellow. Sepideh’s research background and expertise include toxicity of microbial pesticides (insecticides and fungicides) and botanical insecticides against pests, population dynamics and biology of insects, and interaction among natural enemies, pests, host plants, and the environment. She enjoys teaching and has taught a variety of topics including pest and plant disease, entomology, plant pathology, toxicology and pesticide science, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and biological control. The main purpose of her research is to help reduce the impact of chemical pesticides on the environment and ecosystems and to achieve the commercialization of environmentally friendly microbial insecticides, microbial fungicides, and biofertilizers.
Email: sepideh.tahririadabi@kpu.ca
Dr. Li Ma
Li has been at the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture since 2019 as a Research Scientist. She obtained her Ph.D. in plant science from the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2017 and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship. She gained extensive teaching and research experience at UBC. Li specializes in plant ecophysiology, and has enjoyed working with both microorganisms and plants at ISH. Her research has focused on four broad areas: plant disease management, biological control, secondary metabolites of plants and fungi, and endophytes from medicinal plants.
Email: li.ma6@kpu.ca
Liz Kitura
Liz joined the ISH team in the spring of 2021. She completed her BSc in horticulture science (Plant Health) at KPU in January 2021 and her horticulture technology diploma (Sustainable Crop Production) in May 2018. She has multiple years of experience within the horticulture industry, including greenhouse, landscape, Integrated Pest Management, and apiculture. Liz has been involved in a variety of research projects at ISH, including bee vectoring in organic blueberry fields, as well as cultural assays and DNA extraction. She is currently working on her Master of Science (MSc) at Simon Fraser University in Dr. Zamir Punja's lab, where she is exploring novel biological controls that manage common plant pathogens.
Email: liz.kitura@kpu.ca
Jean-Mornay du Plessis
Jean-Mornay du Plessis joined the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture in 2024 as a volunteer research assistant while completing the Diploma in Horticulture Technology at KPU and transitioned to a more formal position in May 2025. He holds a B.Sc. in Biology from Dalhousie University, where he investigated Aponogeton madagascariensis as a potential model organism for plant programmed cell death and developed a passion for plant biology
At ISH, Jean-Mornay leads and supports applied research aimed at improving sustainability of horticultural operations. His projects include evaluating kelp-based biostimulants on strawberry root development, and, through a Mitacs-funded collaboration, optimizing dynamic LED “lighting recipes” to boost greenhouse strawberry yield and quality while lowering energy costs.
Jean-Mornay’s research interests cover plant ecophysiology, resource-use efficiency, the interface of plant health with innovative production technologies, and plant-microbe-environment interactions. He is also an extreme-macro photographer, using focus-stacking techniques to visualize micro-botanical structures.
Dr. Sarah Murria
Sarah joined the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in 2024. She earned her Ph.D. in Plant Sciences from Punjab Agricultural University, India. Her research focuses on plant physiological responses to stress, with a strong emphasis on host-pathogen interactions, sustainable practices in controlled environment agriculture, and post-harvest quality. She enjoys mentoring student interns who assist with her projects, noting that it's one of the best ways to transfer knowledge while gaining fresh ideas and perspectives. Sarah aims to contribute to the development of resilient and efficient horticultural systems. Currently, she is focusing on optimizing dynamic LED lighting technology in greenhouse strawberry production, specifically concerning yield, fruit quality, and pest and disease management.
Email: sarah.murria@kpu.ca
Mohammad Ameri
Mohammad has been with the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture (ISH) since 2022. He holds a Master’s degree in Plant Pathology and a Bachelor’s degree in Plant Protection, with a focus on Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
His professional background includes working as a researcher at the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, teaching plant pathology courses at three universities in Iran, and gaining hands-on experience in vegetable greenhouses. These roles have provided him with extensive expertise in research, education, and practical agriculture.
Mohammad has led and contributed to various research projects in the areas of IPM, biopesticides, biofertilizers, and vertical farming. His areas of specialization include plant pathology—particularly plant-parasitic fungi and nematodes—Integrated Pest Management, protected vegetable cultivation, and horticultural growing media. His primary research objective is to develop innovative and sustainable approaches in horticulture to produce healthier crops with minimal environmental impact.
Dr. Jaswinder Kaur
Jaswinder is an Agricultural Entomologist and Professional Agrologist (PAg) with over 15 years of experience in Insect Toxicology, Integrated pest management, biological control and bioproduct registration. She holds a Ph.D. in Zoology (Agricultural Entomology) and is a Gold Medallist in both her M.Sc. Entomology and B.Sc. Agriculture (Plant Protection). Joining ISH in October 2022, Jaswinder is focused on the registration of microbial pesticides, soil amendments and bio-stimulants. She supports industry stakeholders in navigating complex regulatory landscapes, developed comprehensive registration dossiers, synthesized scientific data and compiling technical documentation complying with regulatory standards of OECD, PMRA and CFIA thereby facilitating successful product registrations across Canada and other jurisdictions.
Prior to joining ISH, Jaswinder served at ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, leading projects on insecticide efficacy, germplasm screening, crop loss assessment, population dynamics and ecological engineering. She has designed and delivered undergraduate and postgraduate Entomology courses and held key academic roles, including Ph.D. Program Leader, Examination Coordinator and Board of Studies Member.
Her goal is to bridge lab-to-field gaps by accelerating the regulatory approvals of microbial pest control tools empowering growers with sustainable alternatives.