Dr. Kazuki Saito is a Senior Scientist II and Agronomist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), with more than 25 years of experience in rice research across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. His research focuses on rice agronomy, sustainable intensification, soil and nutrient management, cropping systems, yield-gap analysis, climate-resilient farming, and greenhouse gas mitigation.

He currently serves as Lead of Area of Work 4 (AoW4), “Incubating Innovation in Sustainable Farming,” under the CGIAR Sustainable Farming Program, and as Program Director of the ASEAN-CGIAR Innovate for Food and Nutrition Security Regional Program. At IRRI, he also leads the Sustainable Soils sub-unit and major collaborative initiatives with Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) on low-carbon and climate-resilient rice systems in ASEAN.

Before joining IRRI in 2023, Dr. Saito spent 17 years at the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), where he led rice agronomy research and development activities across sub-Saharan Africa. He previously served as Flagship 3 Leader of the CGIAR Research Program on Rice (RICE) and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) from 2024 to June 2026.

Dr. Saito has authored and co-authored more than 150 scientific publications. He received the Louis Malassis International Scientific Prize for Young Promising Scientist in 2015. He holds a PhD in Agriculture from Kyoto University, Japan.