The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) announced last week the appointment of Dr. Sudhanshu Singh as the new Director of IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (IRRI SARC) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
IRRI Director General Matthew Morell said of the selection and appointment to this strategic and coveted assignment in South Asia for the Institute, “Dr. Singh brings a wealth of experience, institutional knowledge, and demonstrated a track record to his new role. This will be pivotal to maintaining, consolidating, and pushing the boundaries of quality outcomes and impact of IRRI’s Research for Development agenda.”
Dr. Singh, a native of the Samenda village of Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, is an IRRI alumnus who did his Ph.D. in Agronomy in its headquarters in the Philippines and post-graduate and graduate degrees from Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya. He is an acclaimed agriculture expert with 26 years of extensive experience in the field of agricultural sciences notably in research and development, forging strategic alliances, institutional management, and developing and promoting sustainable intensification technologies tailored to major environments. He demonstrated strong and strategic management and leadership skills. He has done an outstanding job over the decade in transforming agriculture in South Asia with several innovative technologies developed that address the needs of the farmers and consumers in the region. He has authored and co-authored many publications in reputable peer-reviewed journals as well as book chapters and several communication materials.
Dr. Singh led several key projects in South Asia such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)-funded IRRAS project in Bihar, the World Bank-funded APART project in Assam, the European Commission- and International Fund for Agriculture Development-funded projects on abiotic stresses, and the USAID and BMGF-funded CSISA project across South Asia. He was…