From Grad School To Syngenta Flowers: Building A Career In Floriculture

Many horticulture students feel like they have to choose early: academia or industry, teaching or “real world” work, research or marketing. We wanted to test that assumption, so we sat down with Dr. Alicain Carlson from Syngenta Flowers, a cut flower scientist who built a career that blends floriculture research, technical problem-solving, leadership, and science-backed marketing. Alicain is currently serving as the ASHS Industry Division Vice President and was named ASHS Outstanding Industry Scientist in 2025.Alicain walks us through her path from Virginia Tech to graduate work at NC State studying cut flower production and postharvest quality, and then the moment she took an unexpected leap into the commercial side of horticulture. We talk about what Syngenta Flowers actually does as a global flower breeding company, and why the best marketing in plant science is not fluff. It is trial data, clear comparisons, and practical guidance that helps growers choose varieties, manage growth regulators, and hit production targets.We also get specific about career development: how student organizations, teaching assistant roles, and conference presentations build the leadership, communication, and project management skills that employers pay for. Then we dig into networking that feels human, including simple follow-ups, local grower meetings, and using LinkedIn without turning it into a performance. Finally, Alicain breaks down the California Spring Trials as a can’t-miss floriculture event for seeing new genetics, meeting breeders, and spotting collaboration opportunities with universities.If you’re figuring out your next step in horticulture, floriculture, greenhouse production, or plant science, this conversation is a roadmap and a reality check. Subscribe for more career stories, share this with a lab mate, and leave us a review with the career question you want answered next.Send us Fan MailLearn more about the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) at  https://ashs.org/.HortTechnology, HortScience and the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science are all open-access and peer-reviewed journals, published by the American Society of Horticultural Science (ASHS). Find them at journals.ashs.org.Consider becoming an ASHS member at https://ashs.org/page/Becomeamember!You can also find the official webpage for Plants, People, Science at ashs.org/plantspeoplesciencepodcast, and we encourage you to send us feedback or suggestions at https://ashs.org/webinarpodcastsuggestion. Podcast transcripts are available at https://plantspeoplescience.buzzsprout.com.On LinkedIn find Sam Humphrey at linkedin.com/in/samson-humphrey. Curt Rom is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/curt-rom-611085134/. Lena Wilson is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-wilson-2531a5141/.Thank you for listening!...