Wondirad Mandefro is an Ethiopian crop genetist with an MSc in nematology from the University of Gent, in Belgium, and an MSc in applied genetics from Addis Ababa University. He started his career as junior researcher in nematology at the Ambo Plant Protection Research Centre of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) in 1989, before serving as an assistant researcher in nematology there for seven years. Wondirad Mandefro has worked as director of agricultural extension at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In October 2010, he was appointed state minister of agriculture in Ethiopia. His areas of research include effects of nematodes on crops, including research on diseases of rot and tuber crops and research on vegetable and fruit crop diseases. He brings a wealth of experience to ILRI’s Board, with his experience in agricultural research, having served on several boards and national committees, having worked as a researcher with national institutes in Ethiopia and with his experience in government as director of agricultural extensions in Ethiopia and as state minister for agriculture.
