Suresh Kadaru
Lead - Medium Maturity Rice Breeding Program
Dr. Suresh Kadaru is currently leading the medium maturity rice breeding program at IRRI. As part of Product Development and Varietal Replacement, he and his team are working on integrating genomic selection methodologies in breeding for expedited...
Swati Nayak
Scientist II and South Asia Lead - Seed Systems and Product Management
As IRRI South Asia’s Lead for Seed System and Product Management, Swati’s work entails enhancing breeding impact by delivery of genetic gain in farmer field, and positioning right products in market segments. She also serves as the Global Lead for...
Tao Li
Senior Scientist - Environment/Crop Modeler
Dr. Tao Li is a Senior Scientist and Environment/Crop Modeler at the International Rice Research Institute, with over 30 years of experience in ecosystem management and modelling.
Dr. Li has a Ph.D. in soil science from the University of Alberta...
Teodoro Correa, Jr.
Manager - Community Relations and Partnerships
Valerien Pede
Senior Scientist - Agricultural Economics
Dr. Valerien Pede is a senior agricultural economist and policy expert specializing in sustainable agricultural development, with a particular focus on rice-based systems. He currently serves as Head of the Transformative Policies and Investments...
Van Schepler-Luu
Scientist II - Plant Pathology and Host Plant Resistance
Van is the lead of the Plant Pathology and Host Plant Resistance Group. Her group works on multiple bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases of rice and aims to discover new resistance genes for improving the rice plant’s ability to withstand...
Venuprasad Ramaiah
Research Unit Leader - Fit-for-Future Genetic Resources
Venu joined IRRI in 2018. He currently leads the Fit-for-Future Genetic Resources cluster which aims to create and deliver the knowledge, material, and tools required to enable users of genetic resources to take full advantage of the naturally...
Vikram Patil
Scientist I - Agricultural Economics, Inclusive Markets & Value Chains Research
Vikram has been with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) since 2017, working as a Scientist in Agricultural Economics. His research focuses on rice value chain development and economic sustainability, with particular emphasis on carbon...
Virender Kumar
Research Director – Sustainable Impact through Rice-based Systems, Principal Scientist- Weed Science/Systems Agronomy
Dr. Virender Kumar is a Principal Scientist at IRRI specializing in Weed Science and Systems Agronomy. He leads the Climate-resilient Farming Systems Unit and coordinates the Direct-Seeded Rice Consortium. His research focuses on sustainable weed...
Waseem Hussain
Senior Scientist I - Rice Breeding Innovations
Waseem Hussain currently leads the Institute’s late-maturity breeding program, focusing on salinity and flooding Breeding. His core research interests involve integrating modern tools and technologies with quantitative genetics methodologies to...
Xiaoming Zheng
Country Representative and Liaison Scientist for China
Yvonne Pinto
Director General
Yvonne Pinto has a long career in technology generation, innovation ecosystems, and international development. She started in agricultural research and academia before spending 15 years in private philanthropy, focusing on investments in agriculture...