Why taking your research to new global audiences matters: An Alliance scientist’s experience

A recent speaking engagement at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was another international achievement for Alliance Scientist Michael Selvaraj, his lab, and his global collaborators. His experiences show how scientists can push past their ‘comfort zones’ to diversify partnerships and funding opportunities as traditional support networks reel under abrupt changes.

In 2023, The New York Times wrote about how Michael Selvaraj used artificial intelligence to create an app that thousands of farmers worldwide now use to detect, identify and treat banana diseases. Around the same time, Selvaraj presented the app at Texas A&M University with the invitation of Seth Murray, a professor specializing in plant phenomics and corn breeding. The app’s success – and its increased visibility in the Global North – led to a further invitation for Selvaraj to speak at the prestigious annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), held this year in Boston.