Evolving bacteria to eat pesticides : a natural solution for cleaner food

Kimberly Tsz Ching Wong was a semi-finalist in the 2025 UBC Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition. Kimberly presented their research, “Evolving Bacteria to Eat Pesticides—A Natural Solution for Cleaner Food.” By studying how bacteria adapt to detoxify pesticides, the research uncovers nature’s flexible strategies for pesticide degradation. Ultimately, this could lead to safer, more efficient methods for cleaning food without harmful chemicals. Kimberly Tsz Ching Wong is completing their PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology under the supervision of Dr. Nobuhiko Tokuriki.