Science, Technology and Innovation
[ Abdalah Mokssit
Mr Abdalah Mokssit is the Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He has a long experience with the IPCC and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). He is a former Vice-Chair of IPCC Working Group I, which deals with the physical science basis of climate change. He is also a former Third Vice-President of the World Meteorological Congress of WMO and was member of several WMO commissions including the Commission on Climatology and the Commission for Basic Systems.
[ Achim Dobermann
Achim Dobermann is currently the Chief Scientist for the International Fertilizer Association (IFA). He is a soil scientist and agronomist with over 30 years work experience in all world regions. My main interests lie in science and technology solutions for food security and sustainable management of the world’s major agricultural systems.
.tmb-small.jpg?Culture=en&sfvrsn=9d5790a8_1 "Ameenah Gurib-Fakim (2)")
[ Ameenah Gurib-Fakim
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim has served as the 6th and First Female President of the Republic of Mauritius (2015-2018). Prior to that, she has been the Managing Director of the Centre International de Développement Pharmaceutique (CIDP R & I) as well as Professor of Organic Chemistry with an endowed chair at the University of Mauritius. Since 2001, she has served successively as Dean of the Faculty of Science and Pro Vice Chancellor (2004-2010).
[ Amina J. Mohammed
Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group. Ms. Mohammed formerly served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment. Ms. Mohammed has been conferred several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development.
[ Amitava (Amit) Roy
Amitava (Amit) Roy is the former president and chief executive officer of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and has been involved in agricultural development the LMICs for more than five decades. Over the course of his career, Roy has been highly influential in shaping policies for accelerating agricultural growth in several developing countries, speaking before heads of state and ministers of agriculture. He has addressed the Hunger Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives and offered long-term strategies to ensuring global food security.
[ Andrea
Hinwood
Andrea Hinwood serves as the Chief Scientist at UNEP. Shea is an environmental scientist with expertise in environmental exposures and impacts on human health. Prior to coming to UNEP, Andrea served as the first Chief Environmental Scientist at the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in Victoria, Australia She was previously an Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia and held appointments as a member and Deputy Chair of the Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia and also a sessional member of the State Administrative Tribunal of Western Australia.
[ Angelo Riccaboni
Angelo Riccaboni is a professor of management. He is Member of the Scientific Committee of the World Farmers Organisation, Member of the International Academic Committee of the Institute for Sustainable Development Goals of Tsinghua University, member of the Leadership Council of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Chair of the Regional Centre of the SDSN for the Mediterranean since 2012.
[ Anne Mottet
Anne Mottet is a Livestock Development Officer with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, specialized in natural resource use efficiency, climate change and agroecology. She currently manages a team of 8 international consultants and lead a program of work on technical assistance to International Funding Institutions, such as World Bank and IFAD, to support their investments in low carbon and resilient livestock. She also co-leads the global development and implementation of the Tool for Agreocology Performance Evaluation.
[ Arianna Giuliodori
Arianna Giuliodori was appointed Secretary General of the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) in December 2017. In this role she promotes solid governance of the association and international partnerships to ensure that farmers can play a key role in addressing global sustainability challenges.
Arif Husain
Arif Husain is Chief Economist and Director of the Food Security Analysis and Trends Service at United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) based in Rome, Italy. Arif joined WFP in 2003 and since then he has served in many senior positions both in the field and at the headquarters. He has also worked for the World Bank and taught at the Hubert H Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
[ Asia Mohamed
Africa assessment-Lead author. Transformative change assessment scoping-Bureau task force/expert group member. Manual for IPBES national focal points-Bureau task force/expert group member. Bureau 2019-2023-IPBES Vice-Chair. Transformative change assessment-Bureau task force/expert group member. Prior to her current role, Ms. Mohamed was Deputy Project Manager of Climate Risk Finance for Sustainable and Climate Resilient Rain-fed Farming and Pastoral Systems Project, GEF/LDCF /UNDP – Sudan with the Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources (HCNER) as implementing agency from November, 2014 to August, 2017.
[ Asmahan Abdulhameed Al- Toqi
Asmahan Abdulhameed Al- Toqi is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Yemen to the Republic of Italy and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Rome based Agencies: FAO – WFP – IFAD since 2016. Prior to her current role Asmahan Abdulhameed Al- Toqi was Chief of Mission, Yemen Embassy in Paris (2015-2016) and Deputy Chief of Mission Yemen Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in (2014).
[ Barbara Haesler
Barbara Haesler works in CJWZ at the FAO as a One Health Science and Evidence lead contributing to the advancement of FAO’s One Health agenda through collaborative efforts focusing on knowledge generation, exchange and learning and entry points for One Health in agrifood systems. She has almost 20 years of research, educational delivery and collaborative learning experience and expertise in One Health, livestock food systems, evaluation, and surveillance.
[ Babafemi Oyewole
Babafemi Oyewole, a Nigerian national, has been appointed as the CEO of Pan African Farmers Organization (PAFO) on 30 May 2022 with the mission of putting farmers at the centre of African agriculture and agribusiness for sustainable development. Oyewole has decades of experience in the public, private and non-government sectors, and is a veteran in the management of international institutions.
[ Benjamin Roche
Benjamin Roche is a research director at IRD, specialized in mathematical and statistical modelling of the evolutionary ecology of infectious diseases and cancer.Roche is focussing on understanding what key inter-disciplinary insights can be gleaned from bringing together the fields of evolutionary ecology and public health. To achieve this he has studied how host and pathogen diversity may affect infectious disease transmission
[ Bernard Lehmann
Bernard Lehmann is an Agricultural and Food Economist. He is Chairman of the Steering Committee of the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food security and Nutrition at CFS [vice-chair 2019-2021; chair 2021- 2023], Member of the Executive Board of the Global Crop Diversity Trust [ 2019-2023], Chairman of the Science Policy Interface of the Swiss Academy of Science [2022 -], and President of the Foundation Council of the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, FIBL [2022 -].
[ Carlos Bernado Cherniak
Carlos B. Cherniak is the Permanent Representative of Argentina to FAO, IFAD and WFP since December 2019. He is a lawyer, professor of international relations theory and a career diplomat, with a strong experience in human rights, international negotiation and cooperation. Previously, Ambassador Cherniak served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina, as Director of Parliamentary Affairs (2016-2019), Director of the Nuclear and Defense Affairs Office (2006- 2010), and as Specialist Officer at the Cabinet’s Office of the Under Secretary of Institutional Relations (1998-2000).
[ Caroline Plante
Caroline Plante is a Senior Agriculture specialist for the World Bank’s Global Food and Agriculture Practice (GFADR), promoting investments in this sector with a stronger focus on sustainable livestock development and related global public goods (health, environment and equity). She is now in charge of the Regional Sahel Pastoralism Support Project spanning six countries and supporting several other programs on agriculture and livestock in the region.
[ Cindy Hensley McCain
Cindy Hensley McCain serves as Permanent Representative of the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome. She is the former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University, where she oversaw the organization’s focus on advancing character-driven global leadership based on security, economic opportunity, freedom, and human dignity. She has dedicated her life to improving the lives of those less fortunate both in the United States and around the world.
[ Claudia Bauzer Medeiros
Claudia Bauzer Medeiros is a full professor of Computer Science at the Institute of Computing, University of Campinas (Unicamp), Brazil, where she has been a faculty member since 1985. Her research is centered on the management and analysis of scientific data, to face the challenges posed by large, real world applications – ranging from chemistry and biology to urban planning and social sciences.
[ Claudia Sadoff
Claudia Sadoff is a globally-recognized leader in water management for international development. She most recently served as the Director General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Center headquartered in Sri Lanka working globally to find water solutions for sustainable, climate-resilient development. She also served as a member of the CGIAR System Management Board, acting as CGIAR Gender Champion.She currently serves as a Member of the Scientific Group of the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit and was recently named an Honorary Member of the International Water Resources Association.
[ Chris Barret
Chris Barrett is an agricultural and development economist at Cornell University. He is the Stephen B. and Janice G. Ashley Professor of Applied Economics and Management, and an International Professor of Agriculture at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, as well as a Professor in the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, as well as a Senior Faculty Fellow of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and Faculty Fellow at the Cornell Institute for Food Systems.
[ Dacheng Tao
Dacheng Tao is the Inaugural Director of the JD Explore Academy and a Senior Vice President of JD.com. He is also an advisor and chief scientist of the digital sciences initiative in the University of Sydney. He mainly applies statistics and mathematics to artificial intelligence and data science. He received the 2015 and 2020 Australian Eureka Prize, the 2018 IEEE ICDM Research Contributions Award, and the 2021 IEEE Computer Society McCluskey Technical Achievement Award. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, The World Academy of Sciences, AAAS, ACM and IEEE.
[ Dario José Mejía Montalvo
Dario José Mejía Montalvo belongs to the Zenú Indigenous People of San Andrés de Sotavento. He is a political scientist from the National University of Colombia with a master's degree in Development Management from the University of the Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua (URACCAN). He is a professor and consultant to organizations and institutions. He is also a member of the National Commission for the Work and Coordination of Education of Indigenous Peoples of Colombia.
[ Deli Chen
Deli Chen is the discipline leader in the Soil and the Environment Research Group, School of Agriculture and Food, The University of Melbourne, and Director of the Australia China Joint Research Centre, Healthy Soils for Sustainable Food Production and Environmental Quality. He has expertise in water and nutrient dynamics in plant-soil systems, GIS based agroecosystem modelling and decision support systems for optimal irrigation and fertilizer management, and the measures, models and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions from land sources, enhanced efficiency N fertilizers, agricultural ‘big data’ and sustainable indices.
[ Divine Njie
Divine Njie joined FAO in 2004 and currently is the Deputy Director, Food Systems and Food Safety. Previously at FAO, he led the Agro-food industry Group and served as Deputy Director of the Rural Infrastructure and Agro-industries Division, supporting countries in the areas of post-harvest handling, agro-food processing technologies, agro-industry development and other related domains.
[ Donald Moore
Donald is the Executive Director of the Global Dairy Platform (GDP), and serves as Chairman of the Dairy Sustainability Framework and as a member of the UN Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock’s Guiding Group. He is the past Chairman of the International Agri-Food Network (IAFN) and the Private Sector Mechanism (PSM) to the United Nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS).
[ Felicitas Schneider
Felicitas Schneider is coordinator of the Collaboration Initiative Food Losses and Food Wastes launched at the Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS-G20), manages the “Global Platform for FLW experts and projects” and organises annual regional FLW workshops. Felicitas focuses on the development and implementation of national food loss and waste prevention strategies, definitions, applied methodology for measurement and monitoring, impact assessment of measures along the food supply chain.
[ Gabriel Ferrero Y De Loma-Osorio
Gabriel Ferrero Y De Loma-Osorio is currently serving as Ambassador at Large for Global Food Security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Government of Spain. He was the former Director General for Sustainable Development Policies from 2018 to 2021. In this position, he has been lead author and strategist of the 2030 Agenda Implementation Action Plan of Spain, coordinating the Spanish Voluntary National Review at the High Level Political Forum.
[ Gabriel Vichera
Dr. Gabriel Vichera is Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) in KHEIRON Biotech S.A, a biotech company focused on gene editing research in several species. He is an expert in animal reproduction biotechnology with 18 years of experience, both in academic research and biotechnological entrepreneurships. He has a Bachelor degree in Biotechnology (UNSAM) and a PhD in Agricultural Sciences at Buenos Aires University (UBA). He was awarded by different societies specialized in animal and human reproduction for his advances in the field, including the prestigious International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS).
[ Guang Defu
Guang Defu was appointed the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture on 7th December, 2020. Prior to his appointment, he had been working for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (MARA) as the Chief Agronomist and the Director General of the General Office (Office of Taiwan Agricultural Affairs), and before that, he was the Director General of the Department of Agro-product Safety and Quality of MARA.
[ Gunther Fischer
Gunther Fischer is a senior researcher in land use systems of the Food and Water thematic area at IIASA. He also holds the position of adjunct professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Maryland, USA. His main fields of research are mathematical modeling of ecological-economic systems, econometrics, optimization, applied multi-criteria decision analysis, integrated systems and policy analysis, spatial agro-ecosystems modeling, and climate change impacts and adaptation.
[ Guodao Liu
Guodao Liu, a research professor at the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, is an expert entitled to China’s State Council Special Allowance and directly contacted by the central government and main partner of CIAT. He has been serving as the Chairman of the Chinese Society for Tropical Crops. Guodao Liu has widely published on the collection and innovative use of tropical forage germplasm resources.
[ Guo Huadong
Guo Huadong is Director General of the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS), and a professor of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Aerospace Information Research Institute. He is an Academician of CAS, a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a Foreign Member of the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, and a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). He presently serves as Honorary President of the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), Director of the International Center on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage under the Auspices of UNESCO, Member of the International Science Council (ISC) Global Commission on Science Missions for Sustainability, Chair of Digital Belt and Road Program (DBAR), and Editor-in-Chief of two scientific journals International Journal of Digital Earth and Big Earth Data.
[ Hans Hoogeveen
Hans Hoogeveen, Dutch national, was elected as Independent Chairperson of the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in June 2021. He is the former Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to FAO and has served in numerous international functions. He is a political advisor to the World Bank and special advisor to the UN Task Force. He is one of the founding members and current co-Chair of the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture. Furthermore, Mr. Hoogeveen has occupied many other positions and took up many other roles.
[ Heike Schmitt
Heike Schmitt, a senior researcher at RIVM, has been appointed as professor of ‘Antibiotic resistance in the water cycle‘ within the Department of Biotechnology at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). The chair will bring together TU Delft, RIVM and Wetsus (European centre of excellence for sustainable water technology) to conduct research into antimicrobial resistance in the water environment.
[ Hilal Elver
From May 2014 to April 2020, Elver served as the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, responsible for carrying out the right to food mandate as prescribed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. She is currently serving as an appointed member of the Steering Committee of the High Level Panel of Expert on food security and nutrition, and maintains several affiliations with academic institutions. Hilal Elver regularly advocates for human rights-based approaches to food system challenges and uses her platform to highlight the intersectionality of climate change, humanitarian assistance, gender, nutrition, food crises, famine, the Sustainable Development Goals, food system workers, fisheries, and corporate capture–issues that she regularly addressed in her mandate reports.
[ Himanshu Pathak
Himanshu Pathak is serving as the Director,ICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management (NIASM), Baramati, India. Prior to this he was the Director, ICAR-NRRI, Cuttack, India. He worked as a Scientist, 1992-01 and Senior Scientist, 2001-06, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; Co-Facilitator, Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains (RWC), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)-India, New Delhi 2006-09; Principal Scientist, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 2009-16; Professor, Discipline of Environmental Sciences, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 2013-16.
[ Hiroshi Ezura
Hiroshi Ezura is a professor of the Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences & Transgenic Plant Design Initiative at the Gene Research Center University of Tsukuba. He is a scientist in the field of physiology, genomics, genetics, breeding and biotechnology of Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae plants. He is a leading researcher in cell and tissue culture, GM crops and new plant breeding techniques such as genome GIP-TRIAD Faculty Curriculum Vitae Hiroshi EZURA (UT) 3 editing.
[ HUANG Sanwen
HUANG Sanwen is the President of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS). He served as the chief scientist of the National Basic Research Program of China. He was once Vice President of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). He has been engaged in plant genomics and plant breeding research. Dr. Huang has carried out research on cucumber for constructing genetic map and cell genetic map, gender expression, disease resistance and quality development.
[ Hugo de Vries
Hugo de Vries is a research director at INRAE, member of its Scientific Directory Team ‘Food, Nutrition and Bioeconomy’, France. He is President of the European Federation of Food Science and Technology, task leader in the SCAR Working Group on Sustainable Food Systems, member of the FAO-led International Sustainable Bioeconomy Working Group, and coordinator of the European Project (FOODPathS' (Co-creating the Prototype ‘Sustainable FOOD Systems Partnerships'). He is anassociated international member of the French Academy of Agriculture.
[ Hung Nguyen
Hung Nguyen is co-leader of Animal and Human Health Program of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Kenya. He was the regional representative for Southeast Asia for ILRI. He is the lead of the One CGIAR initiative One Health. His current research focuses on the link between health and agriculture, food safety, and infectious and zoonotic diseases with an emphasis on the use of risk assessment for food safety management.
[ Iain Wright
Iain Wright is Deputy director general research and development–Integrated Sciences . Previously he was program leader, animal science for sustainable productivity and ILRI Director General’s representative in Ethiopia. Within ILRI, he was director of the people livestock and the environment research team, and, from 2006 to 2011 he was ILRI’s regional representative for Asia.
[ Ihuoma Okwuonu
Ihuoma Okwuonu is a Plant Biotechnologist and an Assistant Director with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike, Nigeria, where she coordinates the activities of the Biotechnology Research Programme. She has expertise in Tissue Culture, Genetic Engineering and Genome Editing.
.tmb-small.jpg?Culture=en&sfvrsn=2629ed81_1 "Irene Bio")
[ Irene Sacristán Sánchez
Irene Sacristán Sánchez is head of unit for Biotechnology in the Directorate General Health and Food Safety of the European Commission. She joined the Commission in 2003, spending several years working on the development and negotiation of pharmaceutical legislation. Most recently, Irene was head of the policy development and legislative unit in the European Anti-Fraud Office. Before joining the Commission, she worked as a lawyer in Madrid.
[ Inger Andersen
Inger Andersen is Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. Between 2015 and 2019, Ms. Andersen was the Director-General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Ms. Andersen has more than 30 years of experience in international development economics, environmental sustainability, strategy and operations. She has led work on a range of issues including agriculture, environmental management, biodiversity conservation, climate change, infrastructure, energy, transport,and water resources management and hydro-diplomacy.
[ Isaac Sesi
Isaac Sesi is an entrepreneur and innovator passionate about leveraging technology to solve some of Africa's most pressing problems. Isaac is a 2019 MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35 along with the founders of Google, PayPal and Facebook, and a member of the inaugural list of #50Next, a global list of young leaders shaping the future of Gastronomy
[ Ismahane Elouafi
Ismahane Elouafi is the first Chief Scientist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, a new position created within FAO’s core leadership structure. She has two decades of experience in agricultural research and development in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. She is internationally known for her work on promoting neglected and underutilized crops, use of non-fresh water in agriculture, and empowerment of women in science.
[ Ismail Serageldin
Ismail Serageldin is the Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC). Previously, he was the Emeritus Librarian of Alexandria, and was the Founding Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the New Library of Alexandria in Egypt (2001-2017). Before that he was the Vice-President of the World Bank (1993-2000) in charge of Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD), whose mandate included oversight over the all World Bank financed projects in Agriculture, Infrastructure, and Environment.
[ Iván Ortiz-Monasterio
Iván Ortiz-Monasterio is an agronomist and principal scientist at CIMMYT. He focuses on plant nutrition and soil fertility as a means to improve nutrient use efficiency in cereal systems through crop management and improvement, with the objective of increasing productivity, nutritional quality and profitability while reducing environmental impact.
[ Jayantha Wijeyaratne
Jayantha Wijeyaratne is an Emeritus Professor of the University of Kelaniya. Immediately after graduation he joined the academic staff of the Department of Zoology of the University of Kelaniya and served continuously for 43 years of which 24 years have been as Professor and Senior Professor. He has served as the Chairman of the National Science and Technology Commission of Sri Lanka and the member of the Governing Councils of many Sri Lankan institutes.
[ Jean-François Soussana
Jean-Francois Soussana is Vice-Chair for international of INRAE after being Scientific Director for Environment since 2010. After becoming senior scientist at INRA, he became the director of a research lab on grassland ecosystems and global change until 2009. He contributes to scientific expertise for FAO (e.g. State of Food and Agriculture, 2016) and is a member of the Science Group of the UN Secretary General Food Systems Summit to be held in 2021.
[ Jean-Luc Chotte
Jean-Luc Chotte is currently a senior research fellow at the IRD (the French Institute of Research for Development), with a PhD in Soil Science. He has headed an international team with up to 75 permanent staff members with activities in West and Central Africa, South East Asia, the Indian Ocean, Latin and Central America. Moreover, he has worked closely with governments, as part of several national ministerial (France, French Ministry of Foreign affairs, French Ministry for Ecology, French Ministry of Agriculture) and multi-governmental task forces related to my environmental expertise and in relation with the Rio Conventions.
[ Jennifer Clapp
Jennifer Clapp is a Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability and Professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo. Professor Clapp is Vice-Chair of the Steering Committee of the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security and a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems.
[ Joachim von Braun
Joachim von Braun is Distinguished Professor for economic and technological change at Bonn University, Center for Development Research (ZEF). His research is on economic development, science and technology policy, poverty reduction, food and nutrition security, agriculture, resource economics, and trade. von Braun is President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences of the Vatican, and member of various academies of science. He is Vice President of the German NGO Welthungerhilfe.
[ Joan Cuka Kagwanja
Kagwanja is the Chief of the Agriculture and Business Enabling Environment Section at UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Coordinator of the African Land Policy Center (ALPC). She has over 25 years experience in African development, having held positions at the ECA, The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).
Dr. Kagwanja was one of the coordinating authors of the Report of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology (IAASTD) and served on the Steering Committee of the Water Land and Ecosystems (WLE) Research Programme of the CGIAR. Last year, she co-led a partnership between ECA, the African Union Commission (AUC) and AU Development Agency (AUDA) in advancing an African Common Position on the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). Dr. Kagwanja was instrumental in the establishment of the Land Policy Initiative (LPI), a tripartite partnership of the AUC, ECA and AfDB. She has led the African Land Policy Centre since its establishment in 2017 with key flagships being the biennial Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA) and the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA). Dr. Kagwanja holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia, USA.
[ Kaushik Majumda
Kaushik Majumdar is Director General for the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI). He is based in Morocco at the Benguérir headquarters. Majumdar has worked as a Soil Mineralogist at the Potash Research Institute of India (PRII), and later, as the Deputy Director of Eastern India and Bangladesh for the Potash & Phosphate Institute of Canada-India Programme; and as the Director, South Asia Program of International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI).
[ Keith Fuglie
Keith Fuglie is an economist with the Structure, Technology, and Productivity Branch in the Resource and Rural Economics Division. His work focuses on the economics of agricultural technical change, science policy, and productivity growth. Keith first joined ERS in 1992. During 1997–98, he served as senior economist for agriculture and natural resources on the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and in 2020–21 he was on detail with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau of Food Security.
[ Kerstin Rosenow
Kerstin Rosenow is Head of Unit ‘Research & Innovation’ in DG AGRI, European Commission where she is responsible for agricultural research under EU research programmes. Her unit provides the secretariat for the Horizon Europe R&I Mission” A Soil Deal for Europe”. Previously, she was Head of Unit in the EC Research Executive Agency (REA) where she managed the implementation of the project portfolio for Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 2 (food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime, and inland water research and the bioeconomy).
[ Kennedy Gastorn
Kennedy Gastorn currently serves as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the UN and Co-Chair of the 2022 STI Forum.
[ Liz Goodwin
Liz Goodwin is WRI’s first Senior Fellow and Director, Food Loss and Waste. She also serves as Chair of the London Waste and Recycling Board. A chemist by background, Dr. Goodwin spent her early career at ICI but she began to move towards the environmental sector at Zeneca and subsequently Syngenta. Realising the vital role that care for the environment was likely to have in the future, she joined the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) as its first Director of Manufacturing and subsequently added the role of Director of Construction.
[ Magdalena Skipper
Magdalena Skipper is Editor in Chief of Nature and Chief Editorial Advisor for the Nature portfolio. Previously, she served as Editor in Chief of Nature Communications, Executive Editor for the Nature Partner portfolio, Senior Editor at Nature and Chief Editor of Nature Reviews Genetics. She has a keen interest in promoting open science practices and publishing innovation that looks beyond standard manuscript publishing. She sits on the advisory board of the Centre for Personalized Medicine at the University of Oxford, the newly created Einstein Foundation for Promoting Quality in Research and the NAS Strategic Council for Research Excellence, Integrity and Trust.
[ Marcel Beukeboom
Marcel Beukeboom is the Ambassador and the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN Organizations for Food and Agriculture in Rome. He is an all-round diplomat, with over 20 years of experience in a variety of positions across the globe. As Ambassador-at-large for Climate, Mr. Beukeboom was the representative for the Netherlands in international meetings, figurehead of Dutch climate policy and linking pin between global, European and national levels.
[ Maria Helena Semedo
Maria Helena Semedo is Deputy Director-General at FAO. Taking up her current duties in 2013, Semedo gained valuable experience and insight in Africa, first as FAO Representative in Niger (2003-2008), then as Deputy Regional Representative for Africa and Sub-regional Coordinator for West Africa (2008-2009) and Regional Representative for Africa (2009-2013). Ms. Semedo, an economist from Capo Verde is a leading expert in global development issues, she has worked in public service for over thirty years.
[ Marianella Gamboa – Murillo
Marianella Gamboa – Murillo is an Administrative Agricultural Engineer with emphasis in Agroindustrial Business Administration, Master in Technical Education and Technological Innovation Manage. She is a Professor, researcher and extensionist at the School of Agribusiness of the Technological Institute of Costa Rica (TEC) With more than 15 years of experience in extension and research, both from the TEC, and in collaborative work with other universities and governmental institutions, both national and international.
[ Mario Herrero
Mario Herrero is a professor of sustainable food systems and global change at Cornell University. He works in the areas of sustainable intensification of agriculture, climate mitigation and adaptation, livestock systems, and healthy and sustainable diets. He has widely published on the domain of his expertise and is currently on the editorial boards of many top international peer reviewed journals including The Lancet Planetary Health, Agricultural Systems, and Global Food Security amongst many others.
[ Martin Kropff
Martin Kropff is the Global Director of CGIAR’s new Resilient Agro-Food Systems science area. In this role, he is building the world’s largest scientific group on resilient agri-food systems and uniting scientists across 6 regions in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and through 15 Research Initiatives in themes such as farming, cropping, and livestock/aquatic food systems. From 2015 and up until the middle of 2021, he was Director General of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).
[ Masa Iwanaga
Masa Iwanaga is a Special Advisor and former President of Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), a National Research and Development Agency under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and the Fisheries (MAFF), Japan. Iwanaga has always shown great concern for political, social and technological issues influencing plant genetic resources for food security and climate change. He is now serving for the World Vegetable Center (formally known as AVRDC) as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors.
.jpg?sfvrsn=f161e1be_0 "Mauricio Lopes")
[ Mauricio Lopes
Mauricio Lopes is senior scientist and executive with 35 years of professional experience at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation – Embrapa. He holds a PhD in plant genetics, having worked as a maize breeder, R&D manager, Executive Director and President of Embrapa, for two successive terms (2012-2018). He holds the Ordre du Mérite Agricole, conferred by the French Republic, the title of “Doctor of Agriculture Honoris Causa” by Purdue University, USA, and the Rio Branco Order, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil.
[ Maurizio Martina
Maurizio Martina, a national of Italy, is Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). From 2018 until joining FAO in January 2021, he served as Member of the Italian Parliament in the House of Representatives. From 2014 to 2018 he was Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of the Italian Government, also holding responsibilities in the Committee of Coordination for the Universal Exposition of Milan 2015.
[ Maximo Torero Cullen
Maximo Torero Cullen is the Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He joined the Organization in January 2019 as Assistant Director-General for the Economic and Social Development Department. Prior to joining FAO, he was the World Bank Group Executive Director for Argentina, Bolivia, Chile Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay since November 2016 and before the Bank Mr. Torero led the Division of the Markets, Trade, and Institutions at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
[ Medha Devare
Medha is an agronomist and microbial ecologist with experience in data and analytics for agricultural development. She is a Senior Scientist at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Chief Data Officer for CGIAR’s Excellence in Agronomy Initiative (EiA). EiA seeks to mainstream data-driven decision support to increase profit and productivity for smallholders in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
[ Mei Xurong
Mei Xurong is the Vice President of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), responsible for management of strategic studies, financial support and postgraduate education. He serves also the Director of State Engineering Laboratory of Efficient Water Use and Disaster Reduction for Crops, Key Laboratory for Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Xurong is a principal scientist and an experienced team leader in dryland agriculture research and development.
[ Michael Keller
Michael Keller is the elected Chair of the International Agri-Food Network, which comprises 22 organizations from around the globe and covers the entire agri-food value chain. Michael serves as the Secretary General of the International Seed Federation and previously worked in the seed sector in France.
[ Miguel Jorge García Winder
Miguel Jorge García Winder serves as Ambassador, and México ́s Permanent Representative, to the UN Agencies based in Rome where he leads a team of Mexican experts advancing international cooperation to achieve a more sustainable, inclusive, resilient and equitable world. Prior to be named Under-Secretary of Agriculture of Mexico, Miguel worked for more than 16 years at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) where he served as Director for Agribusiness and Trade, Director for Agribusiness and Commercialization and as the Institute Representative in the USA and as Head of the Center for Strategic Analysis for Agriculture.
[ Mimmo Parisi
Mimmo Parisi is currently Professor of Sociology and Senior Advisor for European and Data Science Development within the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development at MSU. He supports international research development efforts and interdisciplinary collaborations to promote, expand, and sustain key strategic university-wide data science efforts.
[ Moez El Shohdi
Moez El Shohdi is president & CEO of Food Banking Regional Network, Board Member of Egyptian Food Bank, CEO of Egyptian Cure Bank and Board Member of Egyptian Clothing Bank. Moez El Shohdi comes up with a blend of 40 years of experience in Hotel Management, Business and16 years of Humanitarian Professional Voluntary Work with a strong self-commitment to eradicate hunger in the region.
[ Mohamed Hag Ali Hassan
Mohamed Hag Ali Hassan is President of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Italy; President of the Sudanese National Academy of Sciences (SNAS); Chairman of the Governing Council of the United Nations Technology Bank, Turkey and Chairman of the International Advisory Board of the Centre for International Development (ZEF), Germany. He is a member of several merit-based academies of science, which include, TWAS, AAS, the academy of Sciences of South Africa; the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology.
[ Morten Aasland
Morten Aasland is Norway’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations organizations based in Rome. He took up his duties in Rome in November 2020. Morten Aasland has a long career in the Norwegian Foreign Service, with positions in the field of security policy, European and transatlantic policy, and stability and conflict in particular. His last posting, 2018-2020, was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Norway to the African Union and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, ECA, based in Addis Abeba.
[ Najat Mokhtar
Najat Mokhtar was appointed Deputy Director General and head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications at the IAEA on 1 January 2019. Prior to her appointment, she was Director of the Division for Asia and the Pacific in the Department of Technical Cooperation. From 2012 to 2014, Ms Mokhtar was the Section Head of the Nutrition and Health related Environmental Studies, Human Health Division
[ Natalia Rodríguez
Natalia Rodríguez currently works at the Global Soil Partnership, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Natalia does research in Geoinformatics (GIS) and Soil Science.
[ Nitya Rao
Nitya Rao is Professor, Gender and Development at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom. She has worked extensively as a researcher and advocate in the field of women’s rights, employment and education for over three decades. Her research interests include exploring the gendered changes in land and agrarian relations, migration and livelihoods, especially in contexts of climatic variability and economic precarity.
[ Oliver Pybus
Oliver Pybus is Professor of Evolution & Infectious Disease at the Department of Biology and a Professorial Fellow of New College, Oxford. He is a Lead Researcher of the Oxford Martin Programme on Pandemic Genomics and Chief Editor of the journal Virus Evolution. His research aims to explain the evolutionary dynamics of pathogens, particularly viral infections of humans.
[ Oluyemisi Iranloye
Oluyemisi Iranloye became Senior Manager, Projects at EKHA AGRO Farms Limited, 2001. In 2004, she became the company's first Executive Director. While working at EKHA AGRO, she started Psaltry International Company Limited in 2005. In 2012, the company transitioned from cassava growing to processing. The Aseyin of Iseyin territory awarded her for her achievement. Under her guidance, Psaltry provided clean water, consistent energy, and medical treatment to Ado-Awaye inhabitants.
[ Osamu Koyama
President of Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS). After joining the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries of Japan in 1979, Osamu engaged in econometric analyses of global food situation at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (1986-93) and JIRCAS (1993-). Osamu was in charge of research strategy setting in JIRCAS from 2002 until 2015 when he moved to Vice President. He was appointed to the current position in 2021.
[ Ousmane Badiane
Ousmane Badiane, Distinguished Fellow of the African Association of Agricultural Economists is the founder and Executive Chairperson of AKADEMIYA2063. He has over 30 years of experience as an academic and a practitioner in international development. As the Director for Africa at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), he was instrumental in developing and guiding the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme(CAADP).
[ Pacem Kotchofa
Pacem Kotchofa is an agricultural economist from Benin and a graduate research assistant at Kansas State University in the US. Her field of expertise includes Food and nutrition security, resilience measurements, economic impact and participatory disease modelling. She has published to inform investment decision for various countries in West Africa and the Sahel region, on options for a better allocation of resources in protecting food security, including controlling the peste des petits ruminants and other small ruminant disease control efforts, as well as optimizing investments for food security crops.
[ Papa Abdoulaye Seck
Papa Abdoulaye Seck is Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Senegal to FAO. He has served as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment in Senegal and have extensive experience in Agricultural policy. Previously he worked for the Rice Center for Africa of CGIAR and directed the Senegalese Institute for Agricultural Research (ISRA) Seck has received the title of Chevalier in the Order of Agricultural Merit of France, Certificate of Recognition from FARA, Medal of Honor from CORAF/WECARD, and United Nations (UN) Award in his capacity as Africa Rice Director General and Award of Recognition from the Agriculture Ministry of Mali.
[ Patrick Caron
Patrick Caron is Vice President for International Affairs of the University of Montpellier since January 2019, Director of the Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute on Transitions, and Chair of Agropolis International. He joined CIRAD in 1988 where he has been Director-General for research and strategy from 2010 to 2016. His works relate to the analysis of the role of agriculture and livestock in rural transformations. Patrick Caron is a specialist of farming systems and territorial dynamics.
[ Patrick Webb
Patrick Webb is a scholar-practitioner who has worked extensively on food security policy and practice, nutrition, agricultural development, as well as in humanitarian emergencies. Today, he is the Alexander McFarlane Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University. He also serves as the Technical Adviser to the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition (or GLOPAN), Adviser to the Food Systems for the Future initiative, and serves as vice-chair of the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group mandated to assess the needs and design of an International Platform for Food Systems Science.
[ Peter Haugan
Peter Haugan is Programme Director at Institute of Marine Research, Norway, professor of oceanography at the Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen and past chair of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC of UNESCO). He has more than 30 years of experience in marine scientific research and international ocean science coordination. The preparation and proclamation of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) and the launch of the first ever Global Ocean Science Report (2017) are recent highlights.
[ Philip G. Pardey
Philip G. Pardey is Professor of Science and Technology Policy in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota, Director of Global Research Strategy for the College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and directs the University’s International Science and Technology Practice and Policy (InSTePP) center. Previously he was a senior research fellow at IFPRI, Washington D.C. and ISNAR, The Hague, Netherlands. Philip presently co-directs the University’s GEMS informatics initiative, a joint CFANS-Minnesota Supercomputing Institute venture.
[ Rabi H. Mohtar
Rabi H. Mohtar, Professor at the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University. Mohtar’s research focuses on global resource challenges and the development of a Water-Energy-Food Nexus framework for linking science and policy; on characterizing the soil-water medium using thermodynamic modeling and the efficacy of non-traditional water, and on applications for sustainable integrated water management such as implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
[ Rattan Lal
Rattan Lal is a Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and is the founding Director of the CFAES Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration at The Ohio State University. He was Sr. Research Fellow at University of Sydney, Australia (1968-69), Soil Physicist at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria (1970-87), and Professor of Soil Science at Ohio State University (1987 to date).
[ Redouane Choukr-Allah
Redouane Choukr-Allahe currently serves as senior professor at the Agriculture Innovation and Technology Center in the University Mohamed VI Polytechnique in Morocco. He joined ICBA as a senior scientist in Horticulture in 2015 for a period of two year and he still serves as Senior follow at ICBA. He is a horticultural, soil and water environmental expert with more than 40 years of experience at IAV Hassan II in coordinating and managing field-based projects and technical teams involved in water resources management, the use of saline water and the use of pre-treated sewage in Horticulture.
[ Ren Wang
Ren Wang is Senior Advisor, International Cooperation based at the Agricultural Genomics Institute, Shenzhen (AGIS-CAAS). From 2018 – 2022 he was Director General of China National GeneBank, Shenzhen (CNGB). From 2013 to 2018 he served as Assistant-Director General for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection at FAO, Rome, Italy, and in July 2007 was the Director of the CGIAR, Washington DC, USA. From 2000-2007, he was Deputy Director General for Research at IRRI, Philippines, and served two terms as Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science from 1995 – 2007.
[ R.K. Singh
R.K. Singh is Program Leader of Crop Diversification and Genetics Section at International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), Dubai. Currently, he is leading the specialized group working on suitable cropping solutions for very harsh marginal environments (salty water and soil, drought and high temperature), which is expected to be much worsened in the future due to climate change.
[ Robert Bertram
Rob Bertram is the Chief Scientist in USAID’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, where he serves a senior advisor on agriculture and nutrition in the implementation of Global Food Security Act. In this role, he leads USAID’s evidence-based efforts to advance research, technology and implementation in support of the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future. He oversees USAID’s food security research portfolio that spans the U.S. University-led Feed the Future Innovation Labs, the CGIAR and other International Agricultural Research Centers and public-private partnerships in agricultural biotechnology.
[ Roxana Saravia Bulmini
Roxana Saravia is a Systems Engineer graduated at the National Technological University in Buenos Aires, with experience in the development and implementation of technologies for the Industry. She currently works at GS1 Argentina, a member of the global network of standards for commerce, leading and participating in projects that facilitate the processes for companies’ digitization.
[ Ruben G. Echeverria
Ruben G. Echeverria is Senior Advisor, Agricultural Development, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He has worked on food, agriculture, and rural development issues -with emphasis on agricultural innovation- since the mid-1980s. During 2020 and 2021 Ruben was Chair of the Global Commission on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (COSAI); Sr. Advisor on Agricultural Innovation to FAO Latin America and the Caribbean; and a Sr. Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
[ Vladimir Ryabinin
Ryabinin is oceanographer, climatologist, marine engineer. At present he serves as Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and Assistant Director-General of UNESCO. His most important research projects included studies of turbulence in stratified fluids, analytical research on the ocean thermocline and its variability, creation of the first soviet system for medium-range weather prediction, studies of bottom ice gouging in the Russian Arctic, a number of shelf engineering projects, development of a marine meteorological prediction system in Russia, and authoring of a third generation wind wave model.
[ Sara Roversi
Sara is an author, entrepreneur, public speaker, and activist. As a public figure in the field of food sustainability, she leads conference panels, serves on advisory boards or governmental taskforce groups, gives keynotes, and provides commentary on related policy and initiatives. Today, she leads the globally expanding Future Food ecosystem in the development and implementation of strategic activity to catalyze transition towards more sustainable food systems.
[ Segenet Kelemu
Segenet Kelemu is the fourth Director General & Chief Executive Officer, and the first woman to lead ICIPE. A citizen of Ethiopia of humble beginnings, educated in Ethiopia and in the United States of America, she has dedicated her life to the achievement of poverty reduction and sustainable development. She is a 2014 L'Oréal-UNESCO Laureate for Women in Science Awards and one of the top 100 most prominent African women listed in the May 2014 edition of Forbes Africa.
[ Sélim Louafi
Sélim Louafi is a social scientist and Assistant Deputy Director of the ‘Genetic Improvement and Adaptation of Mediterranean and Tropical Plants (AGAP)’ Institute at CIRAD in Montpellier. His research focuses on the interface mechanisms between science and public decision-making at the international level in the fields of biodiversity and food security. He previously worked at the Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales (Iddri) where he was in charge of the Biodiversity/Genetic Resources program.
[ Seta Tutundjian
Seta Tutundjian is a global thinker and advocate for transitioning to circular food systems and regenerative economy in water scarce regions For the past 25 years, she has led the formulation and execution of acclaimed transformational programs that have engaged stakeholders and mobilized community action. Seta co leads the global Food is Never Waste coalition and is on the General Board of United Cities.
[ Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted
Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted is the Global Lead for Nutrition and Public Health at WorldFish, a One CGIAR entity. She was awarded the 2021 World Food Prize for her ground-breaking research, critical insights, and landmark innovations in developing holistic, nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquatic food systems. She was awarded the 2021 Arrell Global Food Innovation Award for research innovation. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and Vice Chair of the UN Food Systems Summit 2021: Action Track 4 - Advance Equitable Livelihoods, and also a Food Systems Champion.
[ Shamila Nair-Bedouelle
Shamila Nair-Bedouelle took up her new duties as Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences on 1 April 2019. She comes to UNESCO from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), where she had served as Director of the OzonAction programme since 2012. Responsible for implementing the Multilateral Fund for the Montreal Protocol, she had coordinated a unique network of 147 national Ozone Action offices, providing developing countries with scientific and technical advice as to which alternative technologies to choose to the chemical substances depleting the Ozone Layer.
[ Shri Meenesh C Shah
Shri Meenesh C Shah is the Chairman and Executive Director of NFN. Since September, 1985 he is serving the National Dairy Development Board, Anand in various capacities. He has multidimensional experience in the dairy sector for more than 33 years in areas such as Research & Development, Product & Process Development, Project Appraisal & Finance, Cooperative Services etc. He is also on the board of several institutions such as Indian Dairy Machinery Company Ltd (IDMC), NDDB Dairy Services (NDS), Vidya Dairy etc.
[ Soumya Swaminathan
Soumya Swaminathan was appointed WHO’s first Chief Scientist in March 2019. A paediatrician from India and a globally recognized researcher on tuberculosis and HIV, she brings with her 30 years of experience in clinical care and research and has worked throughout her career to translate research into impactful programmes. Dr Swaminathan was Secretary to the Government of India for Health Research and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research from 2015 to 2017.
[ Sjoukje Heimovaara
Sjoukje Heimovaara is, since 01 July 2022, President of the Executive Board of Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Sjoukje Heimovaara has cross-sectoral experience in government, contract research, fundamental research, higher education, as well as in the corporate world. Within WUR, she works on generating, applying and disseminating scientific knowledge from the fields of research and education for the benefit of society, contributing to a healthier and sustainable world. Sjoukje Heimovaara is a council member and deputy chair of the Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (AWTI), which advises the Dutch government and parliament on policy concerning science, technology, and innovation. .
[ Sushmita Mitra
Sushmita Mitra is a full professor at the Machine Intelligence Unit (MIU), Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. From 1992 to 1994 she was in the RWTH, Aachen, Germany as a DAAD Fellow. She was a Visiting Professor in the Computer Science Departments of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Meiji University, Japan; and Aalborg University Esbjerg, Denmark.
[ Thesele John ‘Maseribane
Thesele John ‘Maseribane took office on 27th October 2021 as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the Italian Republic and on 26th November 2021 he took office as Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Lesotho to FAO. He had been Member of the 10th Parliament of the Kingdom of Lesotho, and he had been Minister of Small Business, Markets and Cooperatives, Minister of Communication, Science and Technology, and Minister of Public Service.
[ Thin Lei Win
Thin Lei Win is an award-winning Rome-based multimedia journalist specialising in food and climate issues for various international news media and also through her own newsletter Thin Ink.
[ Tom Arnold
Tom Arnold currently serves as Chair, EU Commission’s High Level Expert Group to assess the Need for an International Platform for Food Systems Science (IPFSS); the Irish Government’s Special Envoy for Food Systems; Member of the Champions Network for the UN Food Systems Summit (FSS); Member, Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition (GloPan); Member, Board of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN); Member, Malabo Montpellier Panel; Member, Sight and Life Foundation.
[ Upendra Singh
Upendra Singh is Vice President, Research and specializes in soil fertility and systems modeling. For more than 30 years, he has focused on the development and application of crop simulation models and decision support systems for agricultural research, development, and extension. As a member of the International Consortium for Agricultural Systems Application, Singh played a major role in developing the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT), which has been used by IFDC and other international organizations for more than 20 years.
[ Wang Jian
Wang Jian is a scientist, entrepreneur and business leader who has helped transform life sciences in China and globally. In 1994, he set up Beijing GBI Biotech Co., Ltd.in Beijing before co-founding BGI in 1999 to participate in the Human Genome Project (HGP) on behalf of China. He is actively involved in scientific research resulting in extensive genome mapping of the human, natural and animal worlds, and the design and application of trans-omics and sequencing technology to benefit mankind's understanding of diseases, which has been particularly important during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
[ Wenche Grønbrekk
Wenche Grønbrekk is joining SeaBOS as Director of Strategy, Partnerships, and External Relations from 17 January 2022. Wenche has extensive experience driving sustainability initiatives, including her roles at Cermaq, in the UN Global Compact Ocean Stewardship Coalition, and as a Task Force leader within SeaBOS.
[ Wim H.M. van der Poel
Wim H.M. van der Poel is senior scientist at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research and special Professor of ‘Emerging and Zoonotic viruses’ at Wageningen University. He is a principal investigator within the Netherlands Centre of One Health (NCOH), member of the Project Management Board of the European Joint Program One Health (EJPOH) and coordinator of the EPIZONE European Research Group, the network on epizootic animal diseases research. The research work of Van der Poel involves three main areas: New and emerging viruses, Foodborne and Zoonotic viruses and ‘Global One Health’.
[ Wu Wenbin
Wu Wenbin is an Associate Professor at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). Wu Wenbin is the deputy director of the division of agricultural remote sensing in Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning. His research is mainly focused on global/climate change impacts on agriculture, including mapping and monitoring the dynamic changes using remote sensing and GIS, understanding the major driving forces behind these changes, and spatial-explicitly modeling the interactions and feedbacks between biophysical and socio-economic processes.
[ Yasmina Bouziane
Yasmina Bouziane currently serves as the Director ad interim for the Office of Communications at FAO. She has over 20 years of international experience in the field of strategic communication, public information, news and media, and advocacy. She is an expert at Strategic Communication and Public Information within the United Nations with broad experience directing large communications and public information outfits with personal expertise in public advocacy campaigns, spokesperson, media relations, strategic and crisis communication and broadcasting.
[ Yaya Adisa Olaitan Olaniran
Yaya Adisa Olaitan Olaniran is Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome.
[ Zelalem Tadesse
Zelalem Tadesse is currently the country Team Leader of The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) based in Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to joining FAO in March 2016, as ECTAD Country Team Leader in Tanzania, he had worked at the African Union – Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources for five years as a Veterinary Epidemiologist/ Surveillance Officer.