Carlos F. Quirós

Carlos Francisco Quirós

Born: March 17, 1946, Lima, Peru
Died: Feb. 3, 2025

Education:

• Universidad Nacional Agraria, Lima, Peru, B.S. in Agricultural Sciences, 1968
• University of New Hampshire, N.H., M.S., 1972
• University of California, Davis, Calif., Ph.D. in Genetics, 1975

Employment:

• Geneticist, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciónes Agrícolas, Mexico, 1976-1977
• Research Associate, International Plant Research Institute (IPRI), 1981-1983
• Professor, University of California, Davis, 1983-2011

Video Interview (Link)

In this conversation, Emeritus Professor Carlos Quiros discusses his career at the University of California, Davis, including important persons and events that shaped his interests and scholarship, how he came to the Davis campus and his experiences, relationships and accomplishments as a member of the university and the local community. 

Interviewer: Donald Nevins 
Date Interviewed: 11/10/11 
Date Appointed: 1983 
Date Retired: 2011 
Department(s): Vegetable Crops

Edited Obituary (Link)

Carlos Francisco Quirós was born in 1946 in Lima, Peru, to Carlos Salinas Quirós and Hilda Raffo. He was the second of five children. He was primarily raised in Lima, Peru, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a quiet and studious young man, he met the love of his life, Ana Raquel Velando, a vivacious and beautiful “gringa,” in 1965.

He received his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Sciences at the Universidad Nacional Agraria in Lima, Peru in 1968. They moved to Dover, New Hampshire, later that year. Carlos obtained his Master’s Degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1972, and the year before, they welcomed their first child, Carlos “Tato” Martin Quirós, on December 2nd, 1971.

To further his academic endeavors, Carlos and his family moved to Davis, California, to pursue a doctorate. While living in Davis, their second child, César Samuel Quirós, was born on January 13, 1975. Later that year, Carlos earned his PhD in Genetics from UC Davis under the mentorship of renowned plant geneticist Dr. Charles Rick, who became both a mentor and a close friend.

Carlos's professional journey began in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, where he worked as a geneticist for the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agricolas from 1976 to 1977.  He then accepted a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, and moved to a new country with his family.  The following year, they moved to Edmonton, where Carlos worked as a research assistant at the University of Alberta. 

In 1981, the Quiros family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Carlos joined a biotech company called the International Plant Research Institute (IPRI) as a research associate until its closure in 1983. Serendipitously, a faculty position at his alma mater, the University of California, Davis, became available, allowing Carlos to continue his academic and professional career.

During his time at UC Davis, Carlos achieved remarkable success. He quickly became a tenured professor, published dozens of papers, mentored countless graduate students, and taught many undergraduate students, including his future daughter-in-law, Karen, before she and César started dating.

While working for UC Davis, Carlos and his family spent several sabbaticals in Perpignan, France, where he taught as a visiting professor and led research projects. He collaborated with scientists from all over the world, including Europe, South America, and Asia.  They embraced the Davis community, making many friends and hosting numerous students. They remained in Davis until his retirement in 2011.

As a plant geneticist, Carlos wrote 90 publications, was cited over 5000 times, was the editor of several journals, and received countless awards, including a Fulbright Senior Scholarship Award.  Some notable achievements of him and his team were isolating genes that control the production of nutrients beneficial for human health in crops such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. He bred celery strains that improved disease resistance, and bred the delicious potato cultivar called “Inca Gold”. His colleagues and students saw Carlos as a friendly and caring instructor who mentored many young plant geneticists who went on to careers in academia or the private sector.

Research Summary

Structure and evolution of the Brassica structural and comparative genomics; genetics and breeding of secondary metabolites in Brassica crops species; celery breeding and genetics.