Damaris A. Odeny
Principal Scientist
ICRISAT
Damaris A. Odeny is a plant molecular breeder with global research experience spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. She serves as the Theme Leader for Trait Discovery and Delivery and as a Principal Scientist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). She is also the current president of the African Plant Breeders Association, the largest network of academics and professionals committed to the advancement of genetics and plant breeding in Africa.
In her current role, Damaris collaborates closely with national, private, and international partners across multiple disciplines to develop cutting edge genomic resources for all ICRISAT mandate crops, including sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, groundnut, chickpea, and pigeonpea. She previously worked as a senior researcher at the Agricultural Research Council in South Africa, where she played a key role in establishing molecular breeding processes for indigenous vegetables. She has a PhD in Plant Genetics from the University of Bonn (Germany) and a post-doctoral training from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding research (Germany).
Damaris A. Odeny is a member of the AEGIS Scientific Advisory Board.
In her current role, Damaris collaborates closely with national, private, and international partners across multiple disciplines to develop cutting edge genomic resources for all ICRISAT mandate crops, including sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, groundnut, chickpea, and pigeonpea. She previously worked as a senior researcher at the Agricultural Research Council in South Africa, where she played a key role in establishing molecular breeding processes for indigenous vegetables. She has a PhD in Plant Genetics from the University of Bonn (Germany) and a post-doctoral training from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding research (Germany).
Damaris A. Odeny is a member of the AEGIS Scientific Advisory Board.