天美传媒

Dr. Greg Tylka is a Morrill Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Iowa State University. He's an expert in soybean and soybean disease, with a focus on the management of plant-parasitic nematodes. Current research includes study of SCN-resistant soybean varieties, effects of nematode-protectant seed treatments, and the effects of cover crops on SCN biology and management. He also serves as director of the Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University.

Darren Hudson is a professor and the Larry Combest Endowed Chair for Agricultural Competitiveness and Director of the International Center for Agricultural Competitiveness and the Cotton Economics Research Institute at Texas Tech University since 2008. Hudson鈥檚 research interests include agricultural policy and trade, economic development, marketing and consumer demand, and behavioral economics.  He participates in the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute consortium producing annual baseline projections for cotton for the group. Hudson is a past-President of the Southern Agricultural Economics Association an also is a member of the American Agricultural Economics Association. Hudson earned his bachelor's degree in Agribusiness from West Texas A&M University and his master's and doctoral degrees in Agricultural and Applied Economics from Texas Tech University.  

Arianne Cease is a sustainability scientist who works to understand how human-plant-insect interactions affect the sustainability of agricultural systems.

A major focus is on locust plagues and phenotypic plasticity in response to agricultural practices in China, Australia, West Africa and South America. She investigates the interactions among human behavior, market forces, and ecological systems in situations in which human decisions to overstock and overgraze rangeland alter plant nutrient content, increasing the likelihood of locust outbreaks. A key goal of her research is to improve sustainable ecosystem management and rural livelihoods.

Cease is an assistant professor in the School of Sustainability and the School of Life Sciences. She is also director of ASU鈥檚 Global Locust Initiative.

With a natural inclination toward math and science in school, Don studied biochemistry at the University of British Columbia, eventually completing a PhD. Since 2018, Don has been the executive director of the Institute for International Crop Improvement (IICI) at the Danforth Center. He manages the IICI鈥檚 programs and partnerships dedicated to translating key discoveries in plant health, disease and pest management, genomics, advanced breeding and nutrition to new solutions for food quality and availability around the globe.

Don鈥檚 team also provides guidance on navigating through the practical, safety, and regulatory processes necessary to demonstrate that new crop varieties are proven safe and effective for the farmers who will benefit from them.

Don is an international expert in regulatory systems for agriculture, including environmental risk assessment, biosafety, and food safety assessments. His extensive experience in plant product development and global regulatory processes aligns with the Institute鈥檚 commitment to collaborate with international and local partner organizations to deliver crops with improved nutritional content and disease resistance to places where people are in most need. In addition to feeding the hungry, these efforts have the potential to contribute to environmental health and empower farmers to become more self-sufficient.

Under Don鈥檚 leadership, the IICI is establishing public-private partnerships to address cross-cutting issues related to environmental and food safety assessment, quality standards, consensus-building, regulatory policy advocacy, and the practical implementation of stewardship best practices for new technologies.

Anna Herforth is a senior researcher and consultant specializing in the links between agriculture, food systems and nutrition. She holds a Ph.D. in international nutrition from Cornell University, M.S. in food policy from Tufts University, and a B.S. in plant science from Cornell University. She is currently an adjunct Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University, and a consultant for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Gallup World Poll on diet quality and food system issues. She has helped shape the agriculture-nutrition conversation globally through working with a wide range of groups, including the World Bank, UN and CGIAR agencies, government aid agencies, nonprofit organizations, and academia. In Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, she has carried out research and spent considerable time with agricultural and indigenous communities. Dr. Herforth is a co-founder of the Agriculture-Nutrition Community of Practice, a professional community with members from over 90 countries.

I was born and raised in southwest Missouri. My parents raised a few cattle and operated a small meat locker. I received a B.S. in economics with minors in mathematics, history, and astronomy from Southwest Missouri State University in 1991. I then moved to Iowa in the summer of 1991 to pursue graduate education. I received a Ph.D. in economics and statistics in 1999 from Iowa State University.

Upon graduation, I joined the staff for the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State. I served as the U.S. Policy and Insurance Analyst with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) and a Scientist with CARD. For FAPRI, I was responsible for directing econometric and modeling efforts for the crop insurance component of the FAPRI modeling system. For CARD, I served in multiple roles, concluding as the head of the Biorenewables Policy Division and examined the interactions between the agricultural and energy sectors.

My research has examined the interaction between the agricultural commitments within the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the agricultural policies and programs of WTO members, crop insurance, international trade, biofuel policy, federal agricultural policy, and crop marketing.

Kathleen Merrigan is an expert in food security, food systems and sustainability.

Her research focuses on sustainable innovations for food and agriculture among urban cities as well as food deserts.

Merrigan serves as the executive director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, and she is a professor within the School of Sustainability, College of Health Solutions and the School of Public Affairs.

Prior to her position at ASU, Merrigan was U.S. Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Agriculture where she created and led the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative to support local food systems.

Tim Richards鈥� research focuses on applied econometrics with respect to food markets and food policy issues, particularly quantitative marketing, data analytics, retailing strategy, agricultural labor and food policy.

Richards is the Morrison Chair in Agribusiness in the W. P. Carey School of Business and teaches managerial economics, strategic pricing for retailers, and risk management and insurance. He also does extensive consulting work in the food retailing and manufacturing industries for clients that include Walmart, Kroger, SuperValu, Hormel, Sara Lee, JBS Swift, Foster Farms, and a number of others.

Prof. Davis works to understand and find ways to meet the challenge of satisfying global demand for energy, food, and goods without emitting carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

He is interested in studies of coupled human and natural systems and sustainable systems analysis, including: energy technology and policy; of pollution and resources embodied in international trade; of socio-economic inertia and 鈥渓ock-in鈥� of environmental problems; and of the complex interactions of energy systems, agriculture, climate change, and global ecology.

Dr. Gwynne Mhuireach has a multi-disciplinary background, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, a masters in Architecture, and a PhD in Landscape Architecture. She is also a third-generation Oregon farmer, operating a regenerative diversified livestock farm on the outskirts of Springfield. Mirroring this broad set of experiences, Gwynne鈥檚 research interests revolve around the relationships between human and planetary health, focusing specifically on built environment microbiomes and urban food systems. She is part of the Microbes and Social Equity Working Group and the Healthy Urban Microbiome Initiative. Gwynne received an EPA STAR PhD Fellowship and a USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Fellowship. Her upcoming research projects include a pilot study exploring the effects of short versus long food supply chains on the gut microbiome and a collaboration with Oregon State University and Washington State University Extension to advance building-integrated agriculture. 

Dr. Neal Saab is Senior Science Program Manager for the Institute for Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) where he leads the research and outreach efforts in several areas including caffeine, food chemical safety, and food and packaging safety and sustainability. Dr. Saab has broad experience engaging regulatory agencies on environmental risk assessment of chemicals and also managed science committees focused on exposure and toxicology. Dr. Saab has a strong research background in plant science and biotechnology and has been awarded two patents for his innovations. He received his PhD in Crop聽Science聽from Cornell University.

 develops new soybean varieties and germplasm to help meet the growing global demand for protein and vegetable oil. He advances knowledge in soybean breeding and genetics by identifying genetic diversity using modern genetic tools with a goal of improving economically important traits in the crop.
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Diers' research advances fundamental knowledge of the genes responsible for soybean yield, protein content, and resistance to major pests. His captive breeding program releases and licenses soybean varieties for production in Illinois, with more than 15 varieties currently in commercial production. 
Affiliations: 
Diers is an emeritus professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is also a team member for the  (RIPE) project. 

 integrates genomics, proteomics, and synthetic biology to engineer plants with improved photosynthesis. She investigates the natural diversity in photosynthetic enzymes from non-model and emerging model species to source materials for manipulating energy harvesting and dissipation in crops.
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Leonelli's research explores the natural diversity found in photosynthetic organisms and engineers mechanisms that enhance photosynthesis in crops. For the RIPE project, Laurie's current focus is on engineering plants to use light more efficiently in the deeply shaded environment of the lower canopy. Laurie received her bachelor's degree in biological sciences at Mount Holyoke College and later earned her doctorate in plant biology at the University of California at Berkeley. She has completed postdoctoral positions focusing on photosynthesis systems biology at Berkeley and at NYU. Her work is published in several peer-reviewed journals including PNAS, The Plant Journal, and PLOS Pathogens. 
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Laurie Leonelli is an assistant professor in the , part of the  (ACES) and the  at Illinois. She is also a member of the .  

 (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.
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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 .

 (she/her) contributes to understanding non-chemical insect control within specialty crops systems. Her studies combine field research with molecular gut content analysis to study practical insect control applications and arthropod food webs.
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Athey is a researcher passionate about caring for specialty crops by applying non-chemical insect control. By studying molecular gut content and DNA in insects, Athey has been able to further data that indicates potential predators of herbivorous prey. Many of her other studies include the development of land cover to encourage predation of insects that damage specialty crops, integrated pest management for stink bugs, and the promising results of nonconsumptive pathways. Before joining the faculty at the University of Illinois, Athey attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha and became an undergraduate researcher, then moved on to be a senior lab technician for the Invertebrate Ecology Lab and graduate research assistant at the University of Kentucky, where she obtained her M.S. and Ph.D. She was also nominated for the University of Kentucky's Outstanding Staff Award and was the second-prize winner of the Doctor of Philosophy competition at the Ohio Valley Entomological Association.
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 is an assistant professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the . She is also the principal investigator of  and a Faculty Extension Specialist with .

 studies how the plant immune system detects pathogenic bacteria that cause diseases in tomato and other vegetable crops. Her research contributes to understanding plant-microbe interactions and aids in developing plants with enhanced resistance to infection.
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Hind's research interests combine her expertise in plant-insect and plant-microbe interactions with technical skills to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of plant perception to insect feeding. Her research identifies new molecular elements involved with plant perception of insect feeding-derived signals, including molecules found on the plant or within the insect's gut. Her past research includes investigating allelic variation and receptor effects on plant immune systems, the prevalence of bacterial spot in Illinois tomato fields, and biocontrol techniques for managing crop disease. 
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Dr. Hind 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.
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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.

 (she/her) studies the principles and techniques of quantitative genetics in applied plant breeding to accelerate genetic progress in ways that benefit people and the environment. Her work focuses on making winter wheat more profitable for farmers in the North Central Midwest, promoting cropping system diversity, and, ultimately, environmental sustainability.
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Rutkoski is a small grains breeder and quantitative geneticist with a passion for putting the principles and techniques of quantitative genetics and statistics to use in applied breeding in order to accelerate rates of genetic gain. In pursuit of this passion, Rutkoski aims to increase the profitability of winter wheat while improving the levels of quantitative disease resistance in small grains. Rutkoski is also working to develop and deploy new breeding methods that will accelerate rates of genetic gain for wheat and other self-pollinated crops. Prior to joining the University of Illinois, Rutkoski received her Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and went on to complete her Ph.D. at Cornell University under the direction of Small Grains Breeder Dr. Mark Sorrells. After receiving her Ph.D., she stayed at Cornell University as an assistant professor, where her mission was to innovate and transfer advanced breeding methods like genomic selection to wheat breeding programs globally. Rutkoski has also conducted research in collaboration with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), headquartered in Mexico, where she worked as an Adjunct Associate Scientist in the Global Wheat Breeding Program. In 2016, she began working as a Scientist in the plant breeding division at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), located in the Philippines, where she improved rice breeding efficiency through more effective use of data and analytical techniques.
Affiliations:
Dr. Rutkoski is an assistant professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the .

 (he/him) studies, develops, and evaluates management strategies for insect pests of field crops. His research includes developing economic decision-making tools, identifying natural enemies of insect pests, and assessing insect control methods for their effectiveness and fit within management systems. His overall goal is to provide management recommendations that improve the economic returns and environmental profile of insect management practices.
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Seiter is a research assistant professor at the University of Illinois, passionate about developing effective insect control methods within crop management systems, contributing to improving economic returns and management practices. Seiter's most recent studies concern soil health indications linked to maize yield and tile drain nitrate losses, as well as the resistance of lepidopteran pests to transgenic corn and cotton, indicating the need for better pest and resistance management practices for crops. Just a few of his most recent studies also include the control of waterhemp, the efficacy of HearNPV as pest and insect control in soybeans, and insecticide risks to honey bees' declining feral colonies. Before joining the University of Illinois faculty, Seiter attended Purdue University, where he got his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Entomology while working as a research assistant. At Clemson University, he received his Ph.D. as a postdoctoral research assistant before becoming an assistant professor and extension entomologist at the University of Arkansas.
Affiliations:
Dr. Seiter is an assistant professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the . He is also a Faculty Extension Specialist with .
 

 (he/him) breeds corn lines that contribute to economically efficient and sustainable, high-yielding production. He studies the genetic basis of biotic and abiotic stress responses, root development, and grain processing characteristics of corn using innovative, high-throughput phenotyping tools and genomic information.
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Bohn is a crop breeder and researcher passionate about developing and studying innovative and sustainable maize production. As an associate professor at the University of Illinois, Bohn leads a maize breeding program focused on developing improved maize germplasm that contributes to economically efficient and sustainable maize production under restricted and “organic” growing conditions. He develops and employs innovative high-throughput phenotyping tools, quantitative genetic theory, and deep genomic information to study the genetic basis of biotic and abiotic stress responses, root development, and grain processing in maize as well. Before joining the University of Illinois faculty, Bohn grew up in West Germany, where he studied agronomy at the Universities of Bonn and Hohenheim in Germany, motivated by the growing ecological movement in Europe. After spending a year working on a very diverse dairy family farm, Bohn received his MSc at the University of Hohenheim and continued his studies there, completing his Ph.D. in plant breeding and genetics. For his thesis research, Bohn spent two years in Mexico, working at the International Center for Wheat and Maize Improvement. Soon after, he also became assistant professor and Habilitant at the University of Hohenheim.
Affiliations:
Dr. Bohn is an associate professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the .