Training Workshop on Self-sufficiency, Food Security and Agricultural Transformation

David Dawe, Ph.D. (Economist – Food Policy Analysis)

David Dawe, Ph.D., is an independent economist specializing in food policy analysis. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University, and specializes in food policy analysis and the transformation of the agricultural sector during economic growth, particularly in Asia. He has worked with the Harvard Institute for International Development in Indonesia, the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Thailand and Italy, with more than 25 years resident in Southeast Asia. He has published books and research articles in the areas of trade and markets, domestic price policy, production and natural resources (fertilizer and water management, climate) and food security and nutrition. He was formerly an editor of the journal Global Food Security.

Valerien Pede (Senior Scientist II – Agricultural Economics, International Rice Research Institute)

Dr Valerien Pede is a Senior Agricultural Economist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and he is currently Head of the Transformative Policies and Investments Unit. He received his PhD in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University in 2009 and MSc from the University of Arkansas in 2005. His research area includes Applied spatial econometrics and regional analysis, Impact evaluation of agricultural technologies, foresight and policy analysis, commodity price dynamics, climate change, food security, and poverty issues.

Professor Paul Teng, Ph.D., Hon. D.Sc., FAAET

Professor Teng is Managing Director & Dean, NIE International Pte. Ltd., and concurrently Food Security Adviser, Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, both entities of Nanyang Technological University Singapore. He is also Senior Fellow at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Additionally, he is Science Adviser to several agtech startups and venture funds. Paul has published 11 books and over 250 technical papers; his latest (edited) book is “Food Security Issues in Asia”, 2024. He previously held leadership positions in the Worldfish Centre, the International Rice Research Institute, Monsanto Company and U.S. universities (Minnesota, Hawaii).

Linkedin: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/paul-teng-0a774513?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Abdelbagi M. Ismail, PhD (Principal Scientist, Director, IRRI-Africa)

Regional Director for Africa, with over 30 years of research for development, focusing on crop improvement to enhance adaptation to unfavorable areas and resilience to climate change. Led several
regional programs on breeding and delivery of high-yielding, climate smart rice varieties and technologies, through building and coordinating large networks of partners. Holds PhD in Botany,
University of California, Riverside. Authored/co-authored about 275 articles. Recipient, David and Betty Hamburg Science Diplomacy Award, American Society for the Advancement of Science. Fellow (Foreign), National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India; Fellow, American Society of Agronomy; Fellow, Crop Science Society of America.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdelbagi-m-ismail-9969b788/
Facebook: Facebook Link
Twitter (X): https://x.com/abdelbagiismai1

Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio (Center Director of Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture)

Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Crop Science at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and at the Central Mindanao University, Academician Dr. Gregorio is currently the Center Director of Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEAMEO-SEARCA). His career was developed at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) as Geneticist and Senior Plant Breeder for 29 years. He had a 3-year stint as crop breeding manager in a private Seed Company. He is a co-Founder of Binhi Inc, an agri-research start-up company on micropropagation and seed business. To date, he has published more than 120 publications and recently declared as world’s top 2 percent researchers across all disciplines, based on a paper published by a team led by statistician John loannidis of Stanford University.

Conferred Academician by the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines. He is the Chair of the Technical Panel for Agriculture of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education. In 2021, he was declared as United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Champion, and Filipino Faces of Biotechnology. He was awarded as 2022 University of the Philippines Most Distinguished Alumnus. This year, he was awarded as the 2024 Outstanding Professional of the Year in the Field of Agriculture.

Dr. Aileen Virrey Lapitan (Dean, College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Banos)

Dr. Aileen Virrey Lapitan is an Assistant Professor at the College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), where she is currently the Dean. She founded the Development Innovations and Policy Laboratory (DIPLab) at the Center for Strategic Planning and Policy Studies during her stint as Director. DIPLab delivers capacity building interventions to researchers in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources sector so they can transform their findings into policy relevant information, for use in the policy process. As a faculty member, she is involved in curriculum development and student mentoring for graduate programs in Public Affairs, Development Management and Governance, and Development Studies. She is a member of the American Evaluation Association, a Certified Expert in Adaptation Finance, and a John Dillon Fellow. Dr. Lapitan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Economics from UPLB, Master of Arts (Economics) from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA.