Stefano Sella-Rolando

I am an ambitious graduate with a broad set of skills – ranging from laboratory-based techniques, agricultural practices and education. I grew up in South Africa and completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Cape Town, majoring in Biochemistry and Chemistry. I then proceeded to complete my Honours in Molecular and Cell Biology, working in a Plant Stress lab at the University of Cape Town. The research in the lab focused on the cellular and genetic mechanisms employed by a group of drought-resistant and drought-tolerant plants, collectively referred to as resurrection plants, with the ultimate aim of potentially enhancing drought resistance in crop plants. This encounter with severity of the obstacles before us in ensuring food security in the coming decades, coupled with the extreme water crisis in Cape Town during my time there (which almost led to the Cape Town becoming the first major city in the world to completely run out of drinking water), made me reconsider my career path and the influence I could have in providing food security for future generations. This realisation was the turning point in my young life.
I have worked and travelled in various countries since then, which has broadened my mind by increasing my capacity for new modes of thought, while also developing valuable interpersonal skills. I have an exceedingly curious mind; I am highly adaptable and always seek out new, innovative solutions to common problems. I am constantly brainstorming what the future of food production may look like. The more I read and the more I study, the more ideas are generated in my mind. I often feel as though there isn’t enough time in a single lifetime to realise all these ideas, but if I can get my foot in the door in the agricultural sphere, I may have the opportunity to at least make a small contribution to the world and our children in the time I have left on Earth. I truly believe that we should strive to leave the world in a better state than we found it.
My scientific background has instilled a rigorous and analytical approach to all my tasks. I have also honed my practical skills in crop production, working on farms across New Zealand and having been a gardener myself during my time in South Africa. I’m actively looking for a role in which I can bridge my laboratory-based training with my deep interest in food production and cultivate valuable, innovative and professional skills. I’m also very passionate about cooking, and our relationship and interaction with the food we consume. I’m deeply interested in working in the interface of food science, production and consumption. All my skills and aspirations are working towards preparing myself to become a part of securing food security and promoting food education in the world. My ambition is to use the skills that I have learned to set the basis for creating a sustainable future for myself, my community and the world.

● Farm hand/Kiln loader - Oast House Hop Farm
○ Hop harvest support.
○ Loading kilns for hop drying.
● Beekeeping Assistant - Clarence River Harvest
○ Honey collection support.
○ Preparation and cleaning of equipment
and warehouse.
○ Loading bee boxes from hives to trucks.
● Cherry Picker - Suncrest Orchards
● Farm Labourer - McLean Orchards
○ Apple thinning.
● Farm hand/Planting supervisor - Scott Fresh
○ Planting and harvesting of broccoli and
lettuce.
○ Tractor driving.
○ Quality control.
○ Supervisor role of planting activities.

Master of Science: Precise and Sustainable Agriculture
University of Bologna (UNIBO)
Bologna, Italy - PAUSED

TEFL/TESOL Certificate
The Knowledge Workshop
Cape Town, South Africa - 2017

Bachelor of Science Honours: Molecular and Cell
Biology
University of Cape Town (UCT)
Cape Town, South Africa - 2016

Bachelor of Science: Biochemistry and Chemistry
University of Cape Town (UCT)
Cape Town, South Africa - 2015

National Senior Certificate
York High School