天美传媒

Matti Kummu is assistant professor at Aalto University, Finland. His research focuses on global water and food issues, particularly assessing the future opportunities towards water-smart food production.

The main focus of his research is the interaction between the human population and water resources. He has been working extensively on assessing the global water scarcity and how it has impacted on food production and availability. To ease the ever-growing pressure on water and land resources, They are working actively in quantifying the potential of different measures, such as diet change, food loss reduction, emerging non-meat protein sources, and yield gap closure, to sustainably increase the food availability globally. Finally, They work also on more local scale challenges and opportunities on water-energy-food nexus, particularly in the Southeast Asian context.

 (he/him) studies the genetics and breeding of internationally important crops like rice and oats to diversify the regional agricultural system and support agricultural productivity in developing nations.
More information: 
Arbelaez is a plant breeder and geneticist passionate about reducing hunger, malnutrition, and poverty around the world. In pursuit of this passion, Juan is focusing on developing varieties of spring oat (Avena sativa) and rice (Oryza sativa) with enhanced nutritional quality, helping breeders around the world develop and implement cost-effective methods and tools to accelerate breeding for multiple traits, including yield and grain quality. Additionally, Arbelaez is developing cover crop oat varieties for the Midwest to protect life-sustaining natural resources. At the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia, he worked on developing novel rice germplasm with introgressions from wild rice species to support the global rice community. Arbelaez completed his Ph.D. and post-doc in Dr. Susan McCouch’s rice genetics lab at Cornell University, working on understanding the genetic bases of tolerance to aluminum and iron toxicity, critical abiotic stresses affecting rice production in parts of South America and Africa. Prior to joining the University of Illinois, Arbelaez was a rice breeder at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), headquartered in the Philippines, where he played a critical role in the development and deployment of a global genomic selection strategy to accelerate rice improvement in irrigated environments across Southeast Asia and West Africa.
Affiliations: 
Dr. Arbelaez is an assistant professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the .

 explores ways to advance the productivity and environmental performance of major field crops, including corn and soybean. He uses field-applied research and empirical data to identify best management practices to increase nutrient use efficiency and grain yield while minimizing the environmental footprint of food production systems.
More information: 
Preza-Fontes is a researcher passionate about conquering what he believes is the biggest challenge in agriculture today: the ability to produce enough food while conserving our soils and natural resources. As an agronomist, he is interested in enhancing nutrient efficiency within crops and finding ways to optimize no-till cropping systems by incorporating cover crops and extended crop rotation, including winter wheat, grain sorghum, and double-crop and full-season soybeans. In accordance with his interests, Preza-Fontes has worked on a project at the University of Illinois' Dudley Smith Farm to see how much farmers could lower tile drainage nitrate losses with nitrogen fertilizer application timing and cover crops, preventing the loss of corn yield. His published research includes studies on crop response to nitrogen after cover crops, the development of technological tools to monitor and manage soil nitrogen, corn yield responses at different vegetative stages of growth, and more. Preza-Fontes received his B.S. at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, contributing to sugarcane production research alongside his studies. He then attended Kansas State University for his M.S., moving to get his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois. Preza-Fontes worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University before starting as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois.
Affiliations: 
Dr. Preza-Fontes is an assistant professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the . He is also a Field Crops Extension Agronomist and University of Illinois alum.

 is a tireless advocate for using embryo technologies to improve genetics of livestock and reduce food insecurity throughout the world. He is advancing technology in both livestock production and human medicine through his research on embryo/developmental biology, stem cells, cloning, transgenic livestock, reproduction, genomics, and regenerative biology.
More information: Wheeler's research activities can be divided into six areas of research. Generally, the work can be described as large animal reproductive physiology with an emphasis on 1) production of transgenic livestock, particularly swine and cattle, with improved production characteristics; 2) molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in embryonic cell development/differentiation and early embryonic gene expression; 3) genetic evaluation, molecular gene mapping in livestock, early embryonic genotype evaluation; 4) development of remote sensing and microfludic handling methods for mammalian embryos; 5) the use of stem cells (adult and embryonic) for tissue engineering and cell-base therapies; and 6) the use assisted reproductive technologies (in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilization, embryo culture, non-invasive embryo evaluation and embryo transfer) to improve livestock and food production. His team's long term goals are to 1) identify genes that regulate reproduction, lactation and growth; 2) develop methodologies in embryos to edit, transfer and utilize these genes for the genetic improvement of livestock; and 3) devise strategies for using stem cells for cell and tissue replacement.
Affiliations: Wheeler is a professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the . He is also affiliated with the  and the  at Illinois.
 

 (he/him) addresses the literal foundation of all cropping systems: soils. He advances how we monitor and manage soils as natural capital. His research team evaluates how human activities can enhance or compromise soil services to human societies, with an emphasis on food security from urban and rural agroecosystems in the U.S. Midwest and East Africa.
More information: Margenot is an Associate Professor of Soil and Biogeochemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. With a keen focus on the intricate dynamics of soils, his research delves into the realms of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, soil fertility in East Africa, urban agriculture, phosphorus, and soil organic matter and enzymes. He is dedicated to advancing the understanding of soils as the foundation of cropping systems, and his mission involves not only monitoring and managing soils as natural capital but also assessing the impact of human activities on soil services critical to global food security. Margenot's research has contributed to insights into soil health metrics and spectroscopy applications, and he has also authored chapters in notable books such as "Phosphorus Fertilization and Management in Soils of Sub-Saharan Africa." He was also a recognized U.S. Borlaug Fellow in Global Food Security in 2014. Before joining the University of Illinois faculty, Margenot received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Connecticut College in 2010. He then moved on to complete his Ph.D. in Soils and Biogeochemistry at the University of California, Davis.
Affiliations: Margenot is an associate professor and faculty  specialist in the  in the  (ACES) at the . He is an associate director and founding member of the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center and affiliate faculty in the ; and the .