Dr Nick Austin
President, Policy Advisory Council
Dr Nick Austin has extensive experience in international agricultural development and a long association with ACIAR, having served as Chief Executive Officer from 2009 to 2016.
He holds a PhD in sustainable agriculture, a Masters in management, and has held senior roles in international bodies, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, representing Australia on the CGIAR Fund Council for seven years, and with the board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Dr Austin is an elected fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program.
Dr Austin’s passion is helping find solutions to complex societal challenges, often at the intersection of government and markets. He has lived and worked in Europe and the US, and has undertaken assignments in Africa, South Asia, South-East Asia, and the Pacific.
Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba
Vice Chancellor, Fiji National University; Member, Oceania Comparative & International Education Society; Member, World Comparative Education Society (WCCES)-Advisory Board
Professor Unaisi Nabobo–Baba is a professional/International education, higher education, and development specialist with almost 40 years of experience combining academic, technical, and managerial experience in Fiji, the Pacific Islands region, and internationally. Her fields of expertise range from research, innovation, and knowledge exchange with vast experience in designing and delivering programs in education, teacher education and curriculum. She is deeply committed to Pacific postcolonial theorising of research and education development, international aid in education, higher education development, women in development, eco-feminism, educational quality access and equity in education and Indigenous knowledge and epistemology. She has worked in the South Pacific region as well the Northern Pacific.
Professor Nabobo-Baba holds a Bachelors and Master of Arts in Education from the University of the South Pacific and a PhD from the University of Auckland. She has wide academic and administrative experience -national and international and has previously served as the Senior Lecturer at University of the South Pacific and tenured Professor at the University of Guam and Professor & Dean of Education at the Fiji National University. Professor Nabobo-Baba is a Member, Oceania Comparative & International Education Society and a Member, World Comparative Education Society (WCCES)-Advisory Board, among other boards.
Professor Nabobo-Baba is currently the Vice Chancellor of the Fiji National University. She is a trailblazer being the first Fijian Indigenous woman to be appointed as the head of any University and first Professor in any University Institution in the world as an Indigenous woman. In the past three years, she has been developing the Fiji National University’s capacity to engage with partners across the Pacific and Internationally.
Dr Nguyen Van Bo
Member, Vietnam Panel on Climate Change, Vice Chairman of Vietnam Rural Development Science Association
Dr Nguyen Van Bo, the former President of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS, 2006-2014), is currently Member of the Vietnam Panel on Climate Change, Vice Chairman of Vietnam Rural Development Science Association and a member of the Board of Trustees, Vietnam National University of Agriculture. Dr Bo worked as Director General of the National Institute for Soils and Fertilizers (1994-1999) and Director General of the Department of Science and Technology and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (1999-2005) before becoming President of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2006.
Professor Ramesh Chand
Member, Union Minister of State, National Institute of Transforming India (NITI Aayog)
Prof Ramesh Chand is currently a Member of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) and the XV Finance Commission in the rank and status of Union Minister of State. NITI Aayog is the premier think-tank of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs. The Finance Commission determines devolution of tax resources between the Union Government and the States and recommends fiscal consolidation roadmap. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of CIMMYT, Mexico. Previously, he was Director of the ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi. Prof Chand has a PhD in Agricultural Economics and has authored seven books and more than 100 research papers in national and international journals. Prof Chand has been awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award and Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Award of Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Dr Rachel Chikwamba
Group Executive: Chemicals, Agriculture, Food and Health Division, The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa.
Dr Chikwamba holds an MBA, Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria; PhD, Genetics, Iowa State University, USA, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Arizona State University (2002-04), Masters of Science, University of Queensland, Australia and BSc Honours Crop Science, University of Zimbabwe. Dr Chikwamba has held many board positions including, most recently, on the ICRISAT board.
Dr Reynaldo Ebora
Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD)
Dr Ebora has almost four decades of experience in agricultural research and management, in the Philippines and internationally. He leads the formulation of frameworks, priorities and programs for the development of the agriculture, aquatic and natural resources sector in the Philippines. He was a member of Technical Working Groups for the Agreement between the Philippines and the USA on Scientific and Technological Cooperation. He has been conferred with many awards and recognitions for his outstanding contribution to science and has led or presented over 100 scientific and technical papers related to biotechnology.
Dr Maria Odete do Céu Guterres
Timor-Leste Nutrition and Food Security Focal Point and Technical Advisor to the Vice Prime Minister
Dr Guterres is a leading figure in the fields of Environmental Science and Agriculture research, with a particular expertise in Tropical and Environmental Management. Over the course of her career, Dr Guterres has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to sustainable development, environmental stewardship, and agricultural advancement, both in Timor Leste and internationally. She is a dedicated technical advisor, having served over 20 years in senior roles at the Timor Leste Ministry of Agriculture and 10 years working in various roles in government, with the UN Agency and NGOs on Program management, strategic planning, policy analysis and Program Monitoring and Evaluation in the Agriculture sector. During this time Dr Guterres has also represented the Timor Leste Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries at international and regional conferences on agricultural issues in foreign countries, has coordinated the design of the Timor Leste National Food System pathway with WFP and FAO and has been the Focal Point from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to ASEAN accession.
Currently, Dr Guterres is the Timor-Leste Nutrition and Food Security Focal Point and Technical Advisor to the Vice Prime Minister, supporting the inter-ministerial Task Force for social affairs and chairing the Nutrition and Food Security inter-ministerial working group. She is also responsible for coordinating the role of Task Force both at Government level and Development Partner level, to ensure Government achieves it goals in the three priority areas (NFS, ECD & YE).
Dr Guterres was awarded her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) on Environmental Science and Agriculture from Charles Darwin University (CDU) in 2019, has completed a Master of Tropical and Environment Management from CDU and possesses other academic achievements from CDU and Indonesia.
With a career spanning over 25 years, Dr Guterres exemplifies the synergy between academic excellence and practical impact. Her dedication to advancing sustainable agriculture and environmental management in tropical regions, especially in her home country of Timor Leste, has left an indelible mark on policies, programs, and communities. As a technical advisor, educator, and advocate, Dr Guterres embodies a commitment to creating a healthier, more resilient world for present and future generations.
Dr Segenet Kelemu
Senior Advisor at MasterCard Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya and Emeritus Fellow at the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology
Dr Segenet Kelemu is a Senior Advisor at MasterCard Foundation and former Director General & CEO of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to icipe, Dr Kelemu was the Vice President for Programs at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. Following her post-doctoral work at Cornell University, Dr Kelemu joined the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia, as a Senior Scientist in 1992 and was later appointed as Leader of Crop and Agroecosystem Health Management at CIAT until her departure in 2007, when she became the Director of Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa Hub at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya. Dr Kelemu is a 2014 L’Oréal-UNESCO Laureate for Women in Science and one of the top 100 most influential African women according to Forbes, Africa. In January 2018, she was recognised by Bill Gates as one of 5 ‘Heroes in the Field’ using their talents to fight poverty, hunger and disease, and providing opportunities for the next generation. In 2018, she was featured in The CEO Magazine, Australia, as one of the six exceptional leaders from around the world. She has received other accolades including the TWAS Prize for Agricultural Sciences (2011) and an Honorary Doctorate from Tel Aviv University for her professional contributions to society (2015).
Professor Teatulohi Matainaho
Vice Chancellor, Pacific Adventist University, PNG
Professor Matainaho was recently appointed to the role of Vice Chancellor, PAU, PNG. Prior to this, he was responsible for coordinating scientific and research advice from the PNG Research, Science and Technology Council to the PNG Government. In this role, Professor Matainaho articulated the vital role of science, technology and innovation in the growth of PNG, coordinated policy discussions for changes in governance (science and research) and established a culture of research in government and civil society.
Before that, he was a Professor of basic medical sciences and pharmacology and Dean of Research at the University of Papua New Guinea, where he was involved in building international collaboration and negotiating significant global partnerships between PNG and institutions in Australia, the USA, Canada and across the Asia Pacific. Professor Matainaho also holds adjunct professorial appointments with the University of Utah and James Cook University.
Dr Surmsuk Salakpetch
Formerly Director-General of the Thailand Department of Agriculture; Secretary-General of National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards, Thailand.
Dr Salakpetch has had an extensive professional career in agriculture, from research to management. She has a PhD in Tropical fruit physiology and management, University of Hawaii USA, Masters of Science in Horticulture, University of Western Australia and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Kasetsart University Thailand. Dr Salakpetch has held a Board position with the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Thailand.
Professor Achmad Suryana
Senior researcher in the Indonesian Center for Agriculture Socio Economic and Policy Studies and a Professor at the Bogor Agricultural University specialising in Food and Agribusiness Policy.
Prof Suryana has held senior leadership positions in the Indonesian agricultural research and development system, including: Director General of the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD); DG of the Agency for Extension and Agricultural Human Resource Development; Director of the Center for Investment and Environmental Impact Assessment; Director of the Center for Agricultural Socio Economics Research Director of the Bureau of Planning; and DG of the Agency for Food Security. Professor Suryana holds Bachelor and Masters degrees in agricultural economics from Bogor Agricultural University and a PhD in economics from North Carolina State University. He is internationally recognised for his research, expertise and influence on food security policy and for his extensive leadership of the Indonesian agricultural research and development system.
