Dr. Melanie Connor is a senior scientist at the International Rice Research Institute, specializing in behavioral science and international development. Dr. Connor’s research primarily focuses on decision-making in agriculture and rural development, specifically on food system transformation and crop diversification to address climate change challenges, biodiversity loss, the reduction of natural resources, and the triple burden of malnutrition. She has been part of Phases II and III of the CORIGAP project focusing on documenting the outcomes and impacts and harnessing the lessons learned.
Engr. Martin Gummert is an agricultural engineer and was a senior scientist leading the Postharvest and Mechanization Cluster of the International Rice Research Institute until 2022. He advocates for better postharvest management to improve the quality of rice and reduce losses caused by spoilage and pests. His time at IRRI centered on extracting more value from rice harvests through improved quality, processing, market systems, and new products. In 2020, he became the project coordinator for the Closing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia with Reduced Environmental Footprint Project (CORIGAP), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). He supported all the knowledge management initiatives and impact documentation until the project closed.
Dr. Grant Singleton was a principal scientist at the International Rice Research Institute until 2019, a visiting Professor at the University of Greenwich, UK, and an adjunct professor at Northern Arizona University, USA. Grant was the coordinator of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) and the Closing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia with Reduced Environmental Footprint (CORIGAP) Project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) until his retirement. A world expert in ecologically based rodent management, Dr. Singleton is also involved in cross-cutting research in natural resource management.