Professor Cristobal Uauy wins Women in Triticum Mentor Award
Professor Cristóbal Uauy has been honoured for his role in mentoring early career women wheat researchers.
Professor Uauy, receives the 2021 Jeanie Borlaug Women in Triticum (WIT) Mentor Award. The prestigious awards, made by The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI), recognise scientists and scientific mentors working to protect global food security through innovative research in wheat and its nearest cereal relatives.
The WIT Mentor Award, first awarded in 2011, recognises the efforts of men and women who have played a significant role in shaping the careers of women working in wheat and demonstrated a commitment to increasing gender parity in agriculture.
“It’s a great honour to receive this award and a privilege to help the careers of outstanding women researchers as they make an impact on the world through their innovative research,” said Professor Uauy.
Since founding the WIT awards in 2010, the BGRI has recognised 60 early career award winners and 11 mentors from 25 different countries.
The WIT Early Career Award provides early career women working in wheat with the opportunity for additional training, mentorship, and leadership opportunities.
Previous John Innes Centre WIT award winners are Anna Backhaus, (2020), Dr Sanu Arora, (2019), and Dr Sreya Ghosh (2018).
Jeanie Borlaug Laube, daughter of Nobel Prize-winner Norman E. Borlaug, said: “One of the greatest highlights serving as Chair of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative is announcing each new group of Women in Triticum award winners. I have great confidence this cohort will continue the excellent work of the previous winners and continue to strive towards my father’s goal of food security across the world.”
Professor Uauy’s research focuses on using genetics and genomics to improve both yield and quality components in wheat for farmers, industry and consumers.
The Uauy lab works closely with partners in India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Brazil, Chile and CIMMYT among others and has developed open-access tools and resources to enhance scientific discovery in the global wheat community.
