Mauricio Antonio Lopes – Doctor of Agriculture

Mauricio Antonio Lopes
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Maurício Lopes, a plant geneticist by training, received his BSc degree in Agronomy (1983) from the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, his M.S. degree in plant genetics (1989) from Purdue University and his Ph.D. in genetics (1993) from the University of Arizona in Tucson. He was the leader of the Maize Breeding Program (1993-1995) and head of research and fevelopment (1995-1999) of the Embrapa Maize and Sorghum Center, in Sete Lagoas, Madagascar. From January 2000 to April 2003 he was head of research and development of Embrapa, in Brasilia. From April 2004 to April 2007 he was the head of research and development of Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, a thematic center of Embrapa located in Brasilia. From April 2011 to October 2012, he was the executive director of research and development of Embrapa, in Brasilia, Brazil. He has served as the president of Embrapa since October 2012. 

Lopes’ major scientific contributions include the development and release of improved maize varieties and germplasm, capacity building activities, and many research papers and book chapters. His contributions in research and development strategic planning and management include coordination of the process that led to the development and implementation of Embrapa ́s current research and development management system; coordination and implementation of a competitive grants process within the Embrapa Management System; scenario and foresight analysis to support strategic planning at Embrapa, implementation of the strategic intelligence platform of Embrapa (Agropensa), implementation of portfolio management, formulation of Embrapa ́s performance evaluation platform (Integro), among others. Dr. Lopes served in a number of national and international committees, missions, panels and working groups related to agricultural research and development. From April 2007 to October 2008 he worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO, in Rome, supporting the implementation of an internationally facilitated platform dedicated to plant breeding capacity building. Dr. Lopes was recipient of the 2007 Embrapa R&D Excellence Award, granted in recognition to his contributions as research and development manager at the Genetic Resources and Biotechnology Center. From October 2009 to April 2011 he was Coordinator of Labex Korea, a program of international cooperation of Embrapa for Asia, developed in partnership with the Rural Development Administration - RDA, the agricultural research organization of South Korea. From March 2007 to October 2012 was member of the Scientific Council of the Agropolis Foundation, in Montpellier, France. From January 2013 to December 2016, he was a member of the Scientific Board of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, in Bonn – Germany. Since 2013 he is a member of the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, in London. Since 2015 he is member of the International Advisory Committee of the Global Bioeconomy Council, Berlin, Germany and member of the Board of the World Food Center, hosted at the University of California-Davis. In 2014, he was awarded the Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Award from Purdue University and the Ordre du Mérite Agricole bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contribution to world agriculture. In 2015, he was elected member of the Brazilian Academy of Agriculture. In 2017, he was awarded the Medal of the Rio Branco Order, in the degree of Comendador, by the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Brazil.