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Ismahane Elouafi
CGIAR Executive Managing Director
Ismahane Elouafi is the Executive Managing Director of CGIAR, effective December 1, 2023.
She previously held the position of Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Prior to that, she was the Director General at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) based in the United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Elouafi has held several senior scientific and leadership positions, including: Senior Adviser to the…
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Cristina Ramos
Research Specialist
Cristina is a climate security and migration specialist working with the Climate Security team’s West and Central Africa Hub.
Cristina is a social scientist with expertise in qualitative research methods, focusing on climate-related migration and displacement. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the Universidad de Los Andes and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Florida. She has been part of research projects on issues of migration and education in East…
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Sakile Kudita
Team Leader, Country Representative for Zimbabwe
Sakile Kudita has more than 20 years’ experience working at the nexus of agriculture, biodiversity-conservation and nutrition. She currently leads the effort for developing nutrition sensitive, climate smart, and environmentally sustainable agricultural value chains that benefit smallholder farmers, especially women. Sakile is also currently completing a multi-disciplinary PhD at Wageningen University, focusing on valorizing traditional cereal…
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Sabine Homann-Kee Tui
Scientist I
Sabine Homann-Kee Tui is a crop-livestock scientist who integrates social science to develop inclusive and sustainable farming solutions. Her research focuses on sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems in Eastern and Southern Africa, through crop-livestock integration, sustainable natural resource use, and climate action. Sabine has expertise in agri-food systems and value chains and applies economic impact analyses and multi-model frameworks to inform climate…
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Maria Garruccio
Manager, Information Management and Open Science,
Maria is the Manager of the Information Management and Open Science Team at the Alliance. Her team supports Alliance scientists throughout the entire research cycle. They provide support and expertise with finding research papers, bibliographic searches and background information, as well as providing guidance on scholarly publishing. They facilitate access to scientific documentation, tools, bibliographic databases, and provide training on…
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Ignace Dupont
Research Assistant II
Ignace Dupont is a laboratory technician in Leuven. He supports the genotyping team and helps simulate various current and future climate conditions using a high-throughput growth chamber known as the “BananaTainer”. Additionally, he assists in operating an online transpiration monitoring platform, Phenospex, within the greenhouse.
Agrobiodiversity
Belgium
Bananas…
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Phuong Luong
GIS Analyst
Phuong Luong is a Geographic Information System Analyst working in the Digital Inclusion Lever. With a background in natural resources and environment management, her research interest focuses on the innovative use of technology to enhance agricultural practices in an environmentally sustainable manner. In her current role, she is dedicated to supporting the development of land cover maps by interpreting sampling data and employing machine learning techniques to streamline the process.…
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Sandra Patricia Valdés Gutiérrez
Senior Research Associate
Agronomist Engineer with M.Sc. in Plant Pathology. Sandra worked as a Research assistant at CENICAFE and CENICANA in Colombia and as a Senior Research in the virology division and Plant Transformation Core Facility at the University of Missouri. She currently works as a Senior Research Associate at the Gene Editing Platform of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT in charge of genetic transformation and gene editing in rice and cocoa…
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Desire Kagabo
Project Leader
Desire is a PhD holder working for the Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT with over two decades of experience in climate action research, specializing in the co-production, translation, and delivery of tailored bundled agro-climate advisory services for downstream actors. He utilizes innovative dissemination approaches such as digital platforms, participatory methods, and mass media to deliver bundled agro-climate advisory services effectively. Desire authored numerous papers…
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Juan Camilo Mejía Medina
Research Associate
Juan Camilo Mejía Medina is a biologist passionate about statistics, plant ecophysiology, and photosynthesis. He is genuinely interested in climate change and how changes in the weather and landscape impact the heat resistance of plants. He also has background in seed physiology, ecological restoration, thermal thresholds, and gas exchange.
Crops for nutrition and health
Americas…
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Ed Mabaya
Member, Alliance Board of Trustees
Ed Mabaya is a scholar and a development practitioner with more than two decades of experience working on rural development, agribusiness value chains, seed systems and food security issues with a regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. He is a Research Professor in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University. His teaching, research and outreach work focuses on food security and economic development in Africa. Previously he was the Division Manager of…
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Gina Kennedy
Principal Scientist
Gina Kennedy is Principal Scientist with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. Gina is engaged with the CGIAR Science Program on Better Diets and Nutrition and leading research grants to understand linkages between agriculture, food composition and diet quality. Gina is passionate about food biodiversity and the role that food biodiversity can play in creating healthier food systems that nurture both people and the planet. She has a deep understanding of food-based…
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Fatimata Kone
Senior Communications Analyst
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Andrés Ruiz
Research Associate
Andrés Felipe Ruiz Hurtado is a mechatronics engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and a strong commitment to sustainability. He currently works as an artificial intelligence researcher and senior software developer, implementing innovative solutions for the Tropical Forages Program at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. His work focuses on leveraging automation and advanced technologies to enhance productivity and sustainability in agricultural and…
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Paola Andrea Mosquera
Scientist II
Paola Andrea Mosquera is the lead rice breeder at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and serves as the technical lead for the Hybrid Rice Consortium for Latin America (HIAAL). She earned her Ph.D. in crop breeding and genetics from Louisiana State University (United States). She has experience on genetic transformation, trait introgression, in applied plant breeding, with especial focus on optimization of the breeding process and developing hybrid rice and…
