Chiedozie Egesi

About

Chiedozie Egesi is project director for the NextGen Cassava breeding project and works as a senior scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Nigeria. He is also an adjunct professor of global development and plant breeding & genetics at Cornell University.

Egesi has previously served as an assistant director at the National Root Crops Research Institute in Umudike, Nigeria. He has led efforts to develop several improved varieties of cassava, including pro-vitamin A cassava, and provide those new varieties to Nigerian farmers.

His research activities involve the use of cross-cutting biotechnology tools in the genetic improvement of cassava, including transgenic technologies. Egesi supports several African NARS cassava breeding programs in developing adaptive breeding schemes. He has previously worked as a university teacher and a yam breeder in Nigeria and has participated in the development and release of yam varieties.
 

Grant Funded Research

• Next Generation Cassava Project, funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UKaid; Phase 1, 2012-2018, $26M; Phase 2, 2018-2023, $35M. Role: Director. 

Education

• Ph.D. in plant genetics, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 2001