First Vice President of 19th ISTRC Symposium

Dr Emmanuel Okogbenin
Director Technical Operations
African Agricultural technology Foundation (AATF)
Nairobi, Kenya
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https://www.aatf-africa.org/aatf_governance/emmanuel-okogbenin/

Profile

Emmanuel has a multi-disciplinary background as a Plant Molecular Geneticist/Breeder and Agronomist (plant nutrition and physiology) with scientific publications in these disciplines.  He’s had professional/research working experience at both international and national systems in both Africa and South America. Emmanuel worked as part of the leadership team for the CIAT/IITA collaborative partnership on broadening of the cassava germplasm for Africa at IITA, Nigeria and was Molecular Breeder in Africa as part of the of the CIAT Cassava Genetics Team. He led MARS in cassava and cassava breeding community of practice initiatives encompassing several countries in Africa in the CGIAR-GCP Challenge initiatives.  He also served as the Product Delivery Coordinator for Cassava initiatives of the CGIAR-GCP.

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Vice President Fund Raising

Dr Jan Low
International Potato Centre (CIP), Nairobi, Kenya
CELL: 254-733-411010;
OFFICE:254-20-422-3601
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Profile
Jan Low is currently a principal scientist with the International Potato Center (CIP), based in their regional office for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. She manages the Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA) project and co-leads the Sweetpotato for Profit and Health Initiative (SPHI) with the director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). The SPHI seeks to improve the lives of 10 million African households in 17 target countries by 2020, through access to improved varieties of sweetpotato and their diversified use.

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Councillor for Publications

Maruthi M N Gowda PhD
Professor in Molecular Plant Pathology
Head of the Plant Health Group

Agriculture, Health & Environment Department
Natural Resources Institute
University of Greenwich
Medway Campus, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1634 883957 | Fax: +44 (0) 1634 883386
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Web: www.nri.org
www.facebook.com/NaturalResourcesInstitute

Profile
Professor Maruthi Gowda is a molecular plant virologist and vector entomologist with 20 years of research experience in plant-virus-insect interactions, especially those involving geminiviruses, potyviruses and their whitefly vector, Bemisia tabaci, infecting cassava, vegetables and other staple food crops in the tropics. He is a Reader in Molecular Plant Pathology at the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich in the UK. He’s currently either leading or being part of four externally funded projects, and leading a core team of researchers (nine PhDs, and one research fellow) investigating the reasons for the recent outbreak of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) in the eastern and southern African region.

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Secretary ISTRC

Ranjana Bhattacharjee
Senior Scientist
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
PMB 5320, Oyo Road
Ibadan, Nigeria
www.iita.org
Mob: +234 7031982887
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Skype: ranjubhatt

Profile
Ranjana Bhattacharjee is PhD in Genetics and Plant Breeding and currently working as a Senior Scientist/Molecular Geneticist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria for the past ten years. Prior to that, she was a Senior Scientist, Pearl Millet Breeding at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics for two years undertaking pearl millet breeding using conventional and molecular techniques. She has over 12 years of experience working in two CGIAR institutes on diverse crops including pearl millet, cassava, yams and cocoa.

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Past President of the ISTRC 2012 - 2018

Professor Keith Tomlins
Natural Resources Institute
University of Greenwich
Central Avenue
Chatham Maritime
Kent
ME4 4TB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44-1634-883460
Fax: +44-1634-883386
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www.facebook.com/pages/NaturalResourcesInstitute

Profile
Professor Keith Tomlins has been President of the ISTRC since 2012 and was Councillor for Publications from 2003 to 2012. He is a Professor of Food Science at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich. He is currently managing a number of EU funded projects on root and tuber crops relating to capacity building of early career scientists in ACP countries, research on turning waste from root and tuber crops into higher value products in Africa and Asia and research into adding value to cassava products.

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Councillor for Latin America

Luis Augusto Becerra López-Lavalle
Principal Scientist
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
Km 17 Recta Cali-Palmira, Cali, Colombia (A.A. 6713)
Tel: +57 2 4450000 Ext. 3356
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Skype: Augustob1966

Profile

Augusto Becerra Lopez-Lavalle is a Plant Molecular Geneticists and has been the Principal Scientist at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT - Cali) for the past three years. Prior to that he was a CIAT’s Senior Scientist for five years undertaking cassava molecular genetics and next-generation breeding schemes. In his current role, he is the leader of the Global Cassava Program in Colombia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and is responsible for leading the cassava research strategy, manages the program’s budget and a staff of 130 people including 15 PhD-level scientists, laboratory technical support, agronomic engineers, and administrative support. He guides his team and the talent management portfolio. At the CGIAR-level, he is Global Research Leader for Enhanced Utilization of RTB Genetic Resources (RTB phase-II).

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Regional Councillor for the Caribbean

Dr Gregory Robin
Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI),
2 Belmopan Close
UWI Mona Campus, P.O. Box 113
Kingston 7, Jamaica West Indies

Telephone: Office – (876) 927-1231 / 0652
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Skype: gregory.robin9
Website: www.cardi.org

Profile

Dr Gregory Robin is a root and fruit crop agronomist working with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) over the past 30 years. During this period, Dr Robin has gained significant experience in technical, administrative and diplomatic aspects of agricultural research and development in the Caribbean. He also has extensive international experience in Root and Tuber Crops, a priority commodity for Jamaica and the region.

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Regional Councillor for East and Southern Africa

Sarah Mayanja
Research Associate
International Potato Center (CIP)
Kampala, Uganda
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Profile
Sarah Mayanja is a Research Associate with the International Potato Center (CIP) in Uganda. She has over 20 years’ experience in promoting agricultural trade development in East and Central Africa. Her passion is improving smallholder farmers’ access to equitable and diverse markets through facilitating development of gender transformative agricultural trade networks.

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Councillor for West Africa

Chidiozie Egesi
National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI)
Umudike
Nigeria
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Profile
Chiedozie Egesi serves as a Cassava breeder at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) in Umudike, Nigeria. The main focus of his research has been breeding for resistance to the major pests and diseases of cassava such as the cassava mosaic disease. He research also deals with the biofortification of cassava roots with beta carotene. Dr. Egesi also pioneered and supervised the introduction of molecular marker assisted breeding for important traits in cassava in NRCRI.

Councillor for South Asia

Dr. James George
Project Coordinator
All India Coordinated Research Project on Tuber Crops (Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
ICAR- Central Tuber Crops Research Institute
Sreekariyam, Thiruvananthapuram - 695017
Kerala, India
Mobile: +91 9447111289
Tel: +91 471-2598551-54
Fax: +91 471-2590063, 2590071 (Telefax)
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Website: www.ctcri.org, www.aicrptc.in

Profile
Dr James George is the Project Coordinator of All India Coordinated Research Project on Tuber Crops under the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, located at the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. He has over 30 years of research experience in the Agronomy of tropical tuber crops (cassava, yams, aroids, sweet potato and minor tuber crops), their soil and water relations.

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Councillor for Asia

Professor Songbi Chen
Deputy Director of Academic Committee, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute (TCGRI), Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS)
Haikou 571101, ChinaCell Phone: +86 15120690896
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Website: http://www.catas.cn/pzs/

Profile
Professor Songbi CHEN is an expert on cassava breeding, cassava genome and proteome in TCGRI, CATAS. He has 10 years’ experience in scientific management because he served as the deputy director of TCGRI, CATAS from 2010 to 2020. He has the experience in research and collaborations as an expert on cassava cooperated to work with CIAT, Embrapa, University of Greenwich, Kasetsart University and so on. He currently serves as a director of CATAS-CIAT joint Laboratory.

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Regional Councillor for Europe and USA

Dr Dominique Dufour
Food Science Specialist
CIRAD
France
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Councillor for South Pacific

Dr Rup Singh
University of the South Pacific (Suva) Fiji
CELL: +6799722906;
OFFICE:6793232791/6793232547
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Profile
Rup Singh is a Senior Lecturer in Economics. Rup has contributed to agricultural economics research in the Pacific region and has been instrumental in organizing workshops and training in agriculture. He has taught quantitative methods in agriculture; and published in areas of agricultural economies and trade. He has been associated with the ISTRC (Pacific) branch since 2015.