Éliane Ubalijoro
Dr Éliane Ubalijoro is an accomplished leader and CEO with a passion for improving the lives of women and smallholder farmers in emerging countries. As the CEO of CIFOR-ICRAF and Director General of ICRAF, she is the first African woman to hold this prestigious position in the 52-year history of CGIAR Research Centers.
Dr Ubalijoro holds a bachelor’s degree in general agriculture and a master’s and doctorate in molecular genetics from McGill University. She has worked as a scientific director in the biotechnology sector, where she focused on molecular diagnostics before pivoting to public-private sector partnerships to improve the lives of women and smallholder farmers in emerging countries.
Dr Ubalijoro has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to promoting science as a global public good. She is a recipient of the International Leadership Association‘s 2022 awards in women and leadership for outstanding practice with broad impact and an International Science Council fellow. She serves on several boards, including the Crop Trust Executive Board, the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) Special Policy Study on Post 2020: Global Biodiversity Conservation, and Rwanda’s National Science and Technology Council, among others.
