Communications consultant

Core staff

Sam is a researcher and communicator who combines writing, graphic & web design, data visualization and analysis for advocacy in areas such as agricultural science, human security and migration, with a focus on Mexico and Latin America. As a consultant for EiB, Sam supports the development of materials for the Toolbox, website and communications channels.

Project manager

Core staff

Brenda is an experienced global project manager and donor relations officer with a demonstrated history of working internationally in the sustainable agriculture sector. At EiB, Brenda manages and coordinates the development of effective work plans, ensuring plans are within the scope, time, and cost parameters. Prior to her role as a project manager at CIMMYT she held the Position of Donor Relations Officer.

Module lead

Operations and phenotyping

Gustavo provides expert evaluation of breeding program operations according to continuous improvement and operational excellence methodologies and leads initiatives to improve CGIAR and NARS operations capacities. An expert in agriculture engineering, processes, mechanization and automization, Gustavo has over 15 years’ experience in the private sector including as Automation Manager for R&D in Latin America at Syngenta.

Regional genotyping coordinator - Africa

Genotyping / sequencing tools and services

Ana optimizes and streamlines the flow of samples from a variety of breeding programs to genotyping laboratories, helps with laboratory scheduling and forecasting, and, optimizes data return to breeding programs. Before joining EiB, Ana worked at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, Nigeria, as an as Associate Scientist-Molecular Geneticist.

Deputy Director

Jan oversees the operations of EiB teams and work pipelines. Jan was previously Global Head – Breeding at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and has over 20 years of breeding, management and leadership experience from the private sector in both the US and in India, including at Syngenta, Pioneer, and East West Seed.

Biometrics, bioinformatics and data management

Breeding informatics

Kelly Robbins is a quantitative geneticist whose research focuses on the use of computational science to improve the efficiency of crop breeding programs. Current projects are aimed at developing computational infrastructure and models for applying high throughput technologies, such as Next Generation Sequencing and remote sensing, to genetic improvement of complex traits, increasing understanding of genotype by environmental interactions, and improving genetic gains in crop breeding programs in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia he is currently an Assistant Professor at Cornell University in the School of Integrative Plant Science, Plant Breeding and Genetics Section.

Breeding simulation and communication specialist

Breeding scheme optimization

Dorcus works in the area of computer simulations of breeding programs, communicating and sharing this knowledge with scientists to help them apply simulation to optimize their breeding schemes and drive changes in clonally propagated crops. Dorcus previously worked at the International Potato Center, with a strong background in a strong background in quantitative genetics and molecular breeding.

Module / biometrics lead

Breeding informatics

Young Wha leads the development of a team to provide biometrics support across the CGIAR. Young Wha was formerly data scientist at Monsanto, with a background in quantitative and population genomics, running data science projects, redesigning breeding pipelines and building large-scale genetic datasets.

Director

Leadership

Michael leads EiB’s overall strategy, partnerships and operations. He has extensive experience in the commercial development of germplasm through breeding and R&D management. Prior to EiB, Michael was principal wheat breeder and R&D manager for eastern Australia at InterGrain, and has over 15 years of breeding, management and leadership experience in both the private and public sectors, working with both hybrid and fixed line crops.

ICAR project coordinator

NARS outreach

Sanjay coordinates activities with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, supporting the modernization of multiple crop breeding programs in South Asia. Sanjay is currently a senior development specialist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and has extensive private sector experience in India.

Quantitative genetics specialist

Breeding scheme optimization

My research is focused on the utilization of quantitative genetics, genomics and biostatistics in plant breeding. I am fascinated by the opportunities arising from novel breeding tools and modern computational technologies, which allow the combination of classical phenotype-based selection and molecular data for the optimization of breeding programs. Having studied agricultural sciences and crop production, one of my key objectives is to make scientific knowledge and novel methods useful in practice.

Mechanization support specialist for East and South Africa

Operations and phenotyping

Vinicius holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry engineering, Master’s degree in Mechanical engineering and MBA in project management. He comes with over 10 years experience in the deployment of technologies (IoT, remote sensing, GPS, etc) and creation and implementation of SoPs for field operation. Vinicius has also a solid experience on managing contractors as well as managing field operations, from breeding to production. Prior to joining EiB, Vinicius was the head of Mechanization at Sinarmas Forestry, based in Indonesia.

Administrator

Alex supports EiB in the admin area, particularly for the teams based in the Americas, along with the Enterprise Breeding System team. Before joining the EiB he was the admin support for Genetic Resources Program-CIMMYT.

Mechanization Support Specialist for West and Central Africa

Operations and phenotyping

Amer holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture engineering , a Master’s in agricultural mechanization, and an MPhil in Information Systems Management. Amer has extensive experience in Agriculture, he possess in-depth knowledge of: soil preparation practices, irrigation, planting and harvesting machinery and seed processing as well. Amer has also good experience on machine maintenance. Prior to joining EiB, Amer was the manager of the Agricultural Machinery Department at ARD (Unifert) S.A.L, he was also a course instructor at American University of Beirut, he was based in Beirut.

Breeding specialist, East Africa

Breeding change implementation support

Dragan supports EiB’s East Africa-based program and partners to ensure Crops to End Hunger implementation. Dragan previously worked on alfalfa/forage crop breeding and genetics with the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops for 20 years. Dragan has a PhD in plant breeding from the University of Novi Sad

Finance manager

Core staff

Adriana manages and works closely with the EiB team in all financial related matters. Adriana was previously the CIMMYT Internal Audit Unit Sr. Manager for more than two years and held other positions within the CIMMYT Finance Team.

Senior project manager

Nick supports EiB leadership in the management of the Platform and cross-center projects, including helping to define and document implementation, aligning EiB activities with partner Improvement Plans, supporting the team on functional processes such as statements of work, global design and stakeholder engagement, and managing ad hoc projects that support Improvement Plans. He has 20 years of IT project and consultancy experience including recently with Ovintiv/Encana and Project Management Training Institute (PMTI) in Alberta, Canada.