Associate Professor of Biotechnology
By 2030 there will be nine billion people on this planet. The increase in food production will have to be achieved largely in the Americas, where we have adequate water resources and a good growing climate. Appropriate use of agricultural technologies including biotechnology will be critical if we want to increase yields while protecting our forests, watersheds and natural resources. These are the challenges that we address at Zamorano.
The University provides a wonderful mix of outreach and teaching opportunities. I first came to Zamorano in 1997 to teach plant pathology and, thirteen years later, I am helping Zamorano organize a meeting of the Caribbean Division of the American Phytopathological Society in Nicaragua in 2010. I’ve stayed at Zamorano for so long because of the positive impact we have. I travel extensively and consult with agricultural groups and government organizations, but at the same time, I’m able to work with young people on campus, helping them become “part of the solution.” I am so proud when I see my students succeed. In the Fall term, I joined the Norman Borlaug Institute at Texas A & M through a faculty exchange program awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It was an incredibly productive experience. In addition to auditing eight classes, including microbiology, plant pathology, and bioinformatics, I attended several pedagogical seminars and earned a certification from the Center for Teaching Excellence.
In October, I was also invited to Beijing, China to participate in a three day China-U.S. Summit sponsored by the Presidential Library of George Bush, Sr., and organized by Texas A&M and Peking University. More than 80 policy makers, entrepreneurs and scientists from around the world attended. At the biotechnology symposium I gave a talk on the effect of biosafety regulation on public researchers in developing countries.
Colombia and Bolivia
B.S. with honors, Microbiology Kings College London
M.S. Plant Pathology University of London
Ph.D. Plant Virology, University of London
Joined Zamorano: September 1997
Subjects include: Biotechnology and Plant Pathology
(Annual Report 2009)
