Who we are

"As IRRI’s Representative for Asia, Jongsoo coordinates the institute's activities and ensures that the strategies of IRRI are aligned with the priorities and needs of the region. He works closely with government entities and a wide range of partners from other sectors, and leads the implementation of IRRI’s strategy, supporting the development of the agri-food sector in target countries. He also acts as the chief spokesperson for IRRI in Asia and interacts with a wide range of national and international partners and donors to seek out new opportunities for IRRI’s research, including philanthropic fundraising and public-private sector partnerships.

Jongsoo was IRRI’s representative in Myanmar from 2016 to 2019. Prior to rejoining IRRI as Asia Representative, he worked as the Director General and Country Director of Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). He also worked for Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) as a Senior Agricultural Specialist, and in Syngenta Seeds Korea and Monsanto Company as Head of Sales and Marketing.

He obtained his undergraduate (BS Agronomy), master’s (MS Plant Breeding and Genetics) and doctorate (PhD in Crop Science) degrees from Korea University, and has a master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Guelph in Canada."

"Stephan Weise is currently the Managing Director for Asia of the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), a CGIAR research center. Prior to his current appointment, Stephan was Bioversity International's Deputy Director General for Research for almost a decade.

His research and leadership role spans beyond his time with Bioversity and the Alliance as he also worked on different research programs on biodiversity, tree crops, and farm diversification in west and central Africa while at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). He also served as the regional manager for the Sustainable Tree Crops Programme - a public-private partnership and innovation platform that was identifying and implementing new approaches to  improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers in west and central Africa. Prior to that he spent four years in Canada working on integrated weed management and farming systems research at the University of Guelph after completing his PhD at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)."

"Melinda Limlengco currently serves as the Strtaegic Partnerships and Philippine Relations Senior Manager at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). In this role, Melinda leverages her expertise in stakeholder engagement and strategic partnerships to deepen IRRI’s relationships within the Philippines, coordinating closely with government bodies, academic institutions, and other key stakeholders to advance agricultural research and development. 

Her career trajectory is marked by a consistent focus on agricultural and rural development, driven by a passion for sustainable development and inclusive business practices. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Engineering with a minor in Development Management from Ateneo de Manila University. She furthered her studies with a Master of Arts in International Development, specializing in Rural and Regional Development Management from Nagoya University, Japan. Her earlier roles include serving as a senior associate at Development Finance International Inc., where she focused on agriculture, and as a researcher at InsightAsia Research Group. Her work, marked by a commitment to sustainable development and inclusive business practices, aims to strengthen food and nutrition security, stimulate economic growth, and enhance the resilience of agricultural systems in emerging markets."

"Prof. Eddie H. Allison, an expert with over 30 years in academia and policy, has significant global influence in livelihoods and food systems, particularly in fisheries and aquaculture. His work spans regions including sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, North America, and Europe. In 2020, he was celebrated as one of the top 0.1% most cited researchers worldwide by Clarivate/Web of Science.

Eddie advises the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and is also a science advisor to the non-profit Oceana. Holding honorary and visiting professorships, he is affiliated with institutions such as Lancaster University's Environment Center, UK, and the University of Washington's School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, Seattle, USA."

"Ole currently leads IRRI’s country office in Thailand. He is a Senior Scientist and climate change focal point of the Institute. His research group focuses on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigation technologies. Ole completed his PhD at the University of Kiel in 2008. In 2010, he joined IRRI as a Collaborative Research Scientist with Dr. Reiner Wassmann.

As climate change specialist, Ole analyzes the GHG balance of different cropping systems with a focus on Southeast Asia. He evaluates different mitigation options through water, fertilizer, and crop residue management. In his research, Ole also identifies suitable conditions to support dissemination of mitigation technologies, particularly a water-saving method known as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) which offers huge potential in reducing methane emissions. 

Ole’s expertise in project management and multistakeholder engagement further supports and strengthens the implementation of IRRI’s agenda throughout the field of climate change research and climate-smart technologies. Throughout his years with IRRI, Ole has continually worked with various stakeholders in countries within the region to foster the implementation of climate-smart farming practices. He maintains valuable networks across national institutions in Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, and the Philippines."

Kazuki Saito (PhD) is an agronomist employed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in the Philippines. He is leading the Sustainable Soils sub-unit under Sustainable Impact through Rice-based Systems department. He has more than 20 years of research experience in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining IRRI in July 2023, he worked for 17 years as rice agronomist in Africa Rice Center. His expertise is in agronomy and soil and nutrient management in rice-based farming systems. He has authored and co-authored more than 120 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. His contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, such as the Louis Malassis International Scientific Prize for Young Promising Scientists and the Niigata International Food Award, underscoring his leadership in the field. He received his PhD degree in Agriculture from Kyoto University, Japan in 2005.

Danny has more than 25 years’ experience in over 30 countries - including 12 years living and working in Asia and the Pacific - leading and managing multidisciplinary teams working on environment and food, diets, and nutrition. He has been team leader of multiple global projects funded by the European Union, ACIAR, AusAid, NZAID, Global Environment Facility and others. As a researcher and practitioner, he is passionate about improving the provision of local, nutritious foods in school meals and strengthening school food environments to deliver healthier diets and inclusive farmer- and community-led development and biodiversity management. He is particularly interested in the role of integrated school nutrition approaches based on biodiversity-rich school gardens, linking local agroecological food production to school meals and school-based food systems education. In 2011, he was awarded the Alumni Award for Outstanding International Achievement by the University of Sydney, Faculty of Agriculture. Danny is currently Principal Scientist with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and was the Global Project Coordinator of the Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition (BFN) project, recently named one of the CGIAR’s top innovations of the last 50 years. Before joining Bioversity in 2007 he worked for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the University of the South Pacific (USP). He was a lead author of the WHO/CBD Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health, a State of Knowledge Review report in 2016. More recently he is a lead author of the White Paper, School Meals and Food Systems: Rethinking the Consequences for Climate, Environment, Biodiversity, and Food Sovereignty (2023). Danny has a PhD in Agriculture from the University of Sydney. He is a prolific writer and communicator and has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, books and policy documents. He has been the Series Editor of the Alliance and Routledge book series, Issues for Agricultural Biodiversity, for the past 15 years.

"Kevin Chen (陈志钢) is a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit based in Beijing, China. He is also Director of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), jointly established by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and IFPRI. He currently serves as a co-editor of the China Agricultural Economic Review. Kevin has more than 17 years of research and outreach experience in development issues related to agricultural production, markets, trade, environment, and policy.

Before joining IFPRI in 2009, Kevin was Field Director of the China–Canada Small Farmer Adapting to Global Markets Project, jointly funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Chinese Ministry of Commerce. He was also an Assistant Professor and, later, an Associate Professor with the Department of Resource Economics and Sociology, University of Alberta. Between 2003 and 2004, Kevin served as a co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics. Kevin holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics and Business from the University of Guelph, an MS in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Maryland, and a BS in Agricultural Economics and Management from Zhejiang Agricultural University."

Fred Unger, a veterinary epidemiologist from Germany, joined ILRI in December 2007 and is based in ILRI's Regional Office for East and SE Asia, Hanoi Vietnam. Fred graduated from veterinary school in 1989 (Humboldt Univerität Berlin) and obtained at the Free University Berlin a diploma in Animal Health Management and a PhD in epidemiology in 2000 respectively.  He looks back at more than two decades of working experience in epidemiology research on animal health, zoonoses and food borne disease control in developing countries of Southeast Asia (14 years) and Africa (10 years) but also Germany (2 years). Current work in Southeast Asia focuses on food safety risk assessments and management along livestock value chains in Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Laos. Since October 2020 he is the Regional Representative for ILRI East and Southeast Asia.

Nurmi Pangesti, the IRRI Country Representative for Cambodia and a Scientist in Entomology, holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology with a specialization in Microbiology from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), and advanced degrees in Plant Biotechnology and Plant Sciences from Wageningen University (WUR). During her studies, she received scholarships from the SANWA Bank Foundation, Netherlands Fellowship Program, and Experimental Plant Sciences fellowship. She has contributed significantly to research, including her role as a postdoctoral researcher at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO), focusing on plant-soil feedback systems for pest control in chrysanthemums, and a major Indonesia-Netherlands project aimed at protecting the genetic diversity of Indonesian bananas to combat Panama disease.

"At the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, I leverage on my experience of working in the public and private sector to leverage upon CG wide science, and use geospatial/remote sensing data (specifically related to agroclimatology, environmental and crop productivity data) in combination with crop management practices (""on-farm"") data from farmers through existing digital solutions, to develop products and services for the financial sector (asset managers, impact investors, banks etc.), to finance agriculture and food system transformation, so as to improve its sustainability, climate adaption capabilities and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions.

My work enables actors in the agriculture and food value chain to unlock financing for sustainable agriculture practices, while on the other hand enables financial institutions to align their investments with global mandates, regulations and targets on sustainability, adaptation and mitigation."

Paul is a senior hydrogeology researcher at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). His areas of expertise include groundwater assessment and management, conjunctive water use, urban hydrology & water reuse, agricultural water management and managed aquifer recharge.Prior to IWMI, Paul worked for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Land and Water, Australia, specializing in managed aquifer recharge and water reuse.

Dr. Ricardo Hernandez is an Agri-food Economist for the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, and the country representative for the Alliance in Vietnam. His work is related to The Alliance’s initiative on Food Environment & Consumer Behavior, especially on market assessments for nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables, consumer behavior of urban, peri-urban, and rural households, and assessment of nutrition interventions related to Nutrition-Sensitive Value Chain framework. Previously, he worked as a Research Coordinator for IFPRI’s PRSSP in Bangladesh where he led different value chain and household level analysis. Previous to that he worked as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics at Michigan State University (MSU). He has a PhD in Agricultural Economics from MSU and his professional interests are related to food system transformations, agricultural and supply value chains development and food security in development countries. He has work experience in Latin America (Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Mexico), and Asia (Vietnam, Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, Philippines, and Indonesia).

Mrs Tuyen Thi Thanh HUYNH is a research team leader for the Food Environment and Consumer Behavior (FECB) lever in Asia at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. She works as a Country Coordinator of Sustainable Healthy Diets through Food Systems Transformation (SHiFT) initiative in Vietnam, co-lead of Asia Mega Delta work-package 2 on Nutrition-sensitive agri-food systems in Mekong regions in Vietnam and Cambodia, and co-convenor of IP8 on food systems transformation under ASEAN-CGIAR. She leads/co-leads activities of the cross-center in its support of the national government and international agencies and movements in promoting delivery and use of sustainable healthy food that ultimately provides economic, social, and nutritional benefits to all consumers.