Prof. Rajeev Varshney is the Research Program Director of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and a professor at Murdoch University, Australia. He is a globally recognized leader in genome sequencing, genomics-assisted breeding, translational genomics, and capacity building in agriculture. He works on crop improvement with a focus on legumes in developing countries, often achieved by providing thought leadership to several committees representing editorial and advisory boards and funding organizations. He is an elected fellow to about 10 science and agriculture academies/societies in India, Germany, the USA, etc., and a recipient of several noted awards including the most coveted science award, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, and the most prestigious agricultural science award, the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award, from the Government of India. Recently, ICRISAT won the 2021 Africa Food Prize for the outputs and impact of Tropical Legume projects, led by Prof. Varshney as Principal Investigator for 7 years.
