Paul Chavarriaga

Paul Chavarriaga Aguirre is the Biotechnology Program Leader and Gene Editing Platform Leader at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. Paul is a Colombian scientist with over 30 years of international experience in plant biotechnology, molecular biology, and genome editing. He earned a B.Sc. in Biology (Genetics) from Universidad del Valle, Colombia; a Master of Arts in Biotechnology from Washington University in St. Louis, USA; a Master of Science in Botany from the University of Georgia, USA; and a Ph.D. in Biology from Universidad del Valle, Colombia.

Throughout his career, Paul has played a pioneering role in the Gene Editing Platform at the Alliance, where he manages a multidisciplinary team of more than 20 professionals. He has been at the forefront of introducing and applying cutting-edge technologies, first as a pioneer in transgenics and later in gene editing, demonstrating and implementing state-of-the-art approaches for crop improvement. His work has been instrumental in advancing gene editing and crop innovation, improving rice, cassava, tropical forages, beans, and cocoa to enhance yield, nutritional value, and disease resistance, thereby contributing to food security and climate change adaptation.

His leadership has enabled impactful projects funded by organisations such as the Bezos Earth Fund, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USDA, and UC-Davis, among others.

Paul is also deeply committed to capacity building, having supervised numerous graduate theses and engaged in extensive outreach with policymakers, regulators, students, and the general public on the role of biotechnology in sustainable agriculture. His scientific contributions include dozens of publications in leading journals and book chapters, positioning him as one of the region’s foremost experts in agricultural biotechnology.