Mexican researcher Gabriela Olmedo receives recognition as “IICA Chair” in Biotechnology and Innovation
San Jose, 18 January 2022 (IICA). Renowned Mexican researcher in genetic engineering and molecular biology, Gabriela Olmedo, was awarded the “IICA Chair in Biotechnology and Innovation” title for her contributions to promoting access to the new knowledge frontier thanks to her commitment to education and scientific dissemination.
The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, presented the title to Olmedo, the first woman to direct the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV) of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) of Mexico, in a virtual ceremony for the inauguration of his second term as head of the international organization.
The Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development of Mexico, Víctor Villalobos, also spoke at the meeting, which featured the presence of ministers, secretaries, and deputy ministers of Agriculture of the countries of the Americas, and other high-ranking international officials linked to the sector.
Olmedo has been the Director of the Irapuato Unit of CINVESTAV at the IPN since 2013, and is a senior researcher in the Department of Genetic Engineering of the Unit that she headed from 2007 to 2013.
She is also in charge of the Molecular Biology and Microbial Ecology laboratory, focusing on lines of research related to bacterial genomics and the study of microbial communities. Her studies have revealed the great potential of these microorganisms for biotechnological developments in agriculture, such as biofertilizers.
As a researcher, she has carried out important work in plant analysis and registration and safety through metabolic and molecular analysis, among other areas.
“We must continue supporting women, who already make significant contributions to agriculture but who have a lot to offer in the field of science and technology. The academic sector must commit to agriculture, and science and technology must be the basis of sustainable agriculture”, Olmedo stressed upon receiving the award.
“I have accepted the honor of this Chair because it entails a challenge, which is to continue contributing to IICA’s mission. This not only constitutes an opportunity for me to share my knowledge of microbial ecology, but also to materialize my passion for scientific dissemination”, added the researcher.
The Secretary of Agriculture of Mexico, on the other hand, highlighted the fact that the “challenges of a more productive and sustainable agriculture”, so necessary in current times, “require scientific knowledge of the highest level”, and went on to praise the arduous and outstanding work developed by Olmedo, recognized by the title awarded by IICA.
“In that sense, the researchers who carry out this work in the labs and strengthen human talent by teaching and disseminating science deserve our recognition. Thus, I am very pleased and commend IICA for this initiative. As a Mexican and as Secretary of Agriculture, I am grateful for the well-deserved recognition given to Doctor Olmedo’s work”, said Villalobos.
For his part, the Director General of IICA mentioned that “underscoring the work of women scientists in the Americas is not only rewarding for the Institute; it is a mandate, an obligation”.
“We say this and will incessantly repeat it: there is no sustainable development without robust national science and technology systems, and IICA must promote and support all efforts made in this regard. Dr. Olmedo’s studies of microbial communities reveal the great potential of these microorganisms for biotechnological developments in agriculture, such as biofertilizers”, said Otero.
The “IICA Chairs” Program was created in 2018 with the mission of providing technical cooperation of excellence focused on generating new knowledge that transforms agriculture and contributes to rural development in the Americas.
Prior recipients of this distinction include Professor Emeritus of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Elizabeth Hodson; Ohio State University Professor of Soil Sciences and Director of the Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration, Rattan Lal; the former Minister of Agriculture of Brazil, Coordinator of the Agribusiness Center of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation and holder of the Agribusiness Chair at the “Luiz de Queiroz” Higher School of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo, Roberto Rodrigues; the Institute of Agriculture-related Physiological and Ecological Research (IFEVA), of the School of Agronomy of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Chair of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, David Zilberman; and Argentine biochemist Raquel Chan.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int