Speakers
- Home
- Speakers
Meet the Speakers | Agriculture Conference 2026
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist
Professor, Head of Center, SDU UAS, SDU Climate Cluster
Head of SDU UAS Center
The University of Southern Denmark
Denmark
Theme: “Robotic Intercropping: Co-developing Cropping Systems with Robotics for Sustainable Farming”
Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist is Full Professor and Head of the Drone Center (SDU UAS) at the University of Southern Denmark. He primarily conducts research on high-level software abstractions for aerial, mobile, and self-organizing robots, with a focus on safety, reliability and robustness. The aim of his work is to develop drone technology for a flourishing global society, in support of the on-going green transition. In addition to coordinating the WildDrone MSCN, he also coordinates the IFD GENIUS project. Previously he participated in the IFD HealthDrone and H2020 TeamPlay projects, and led the COST IC-1405 Work Package on Applications of Reversible Computing.
Prof. Christine Helen Foyer
University of Birmingham
UK
Theme: “Plant Responses to a High CO2 World”
Christine H. Foyer is Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Birmingham. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Delhi, India and an Extraordinary Professor in Genetics, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She recently received the Sustained Excellence Award from the Biochemical Society (UK). She is a Member of the Annals of Botany Company, the Editor in Chief of Plant, Cell and Environment and the Publications Officer for the Association of Applied Biologists. She is a Highly Cited Researcher, ranking in the top 1% by citations for the field. In the Category of Plant Science and Agronomy she is ranked #8 in the world ranking and #1 in United Kingdom. In the Best Female Scientist category, she is ranked 224th in the world, 15th in the UK. Christine is an expert in plant biochemistry and metabolism. With a strong focus on reduction/oxidation (redox) processes and signals that regulate plant growth and stress tolerance, her lab studies how primary processes such as photosynthesis regulate plant, growth development and defence, particularly through effects on the redox status of cells and cell signalling under optimal and stress conditions. Using model (Arabidopsis), crop plants and trees, her lab investigates the responses of photosynthesis and associated processes to abiotic stresses including elevated carbon dioxide.
Plenary Speakers
Dr. Arlene L. Gonzales
Plenary Speaker
Visiting Faculty Member
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand
Associate Professor
Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU)
College of Agriculture, Food and Sustainable Development
Philippines
Dr. Gonzales holds a PhD in Climate Change and Sustainable Development from the Asian Institute of Technology (2024), an MS in Environmental and Conservation Biology from Saint Louis University, Philippines (2010), and a BS in Environmental Science from Mariano Marcos State University (2004). Her areas of expertise include nature-based solutions, urban ecology, greenhouse gas inventories, environmental and ecological engineering, and climate change and sustainability.
Dr. Gonzales has over two decades of academic and professional experience, progressing from Instructor to Associate Professor at MMSU. Her research focuses on applying nature-based and green engineering approaches to enhance ecosystem services, improve climate resilience, and support sustainable community development.
She has published in internationally recognized journals and edited volumes, including work on freshwater mangroves as novel urban ecosystems, geostatistical analysis of child malnutrition, and the evaluation of international research-for-development programs’ contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Dr. Gonzales is currently the Project Leader of the Department of Science and Technology–funded project “Nature-based Solutions for Sustainable Mangrove Management and Resilient Communities Through Innovative Green Engineering Approach” (2024–2026) and a Project Member of the Commission on Higher Education–funded SDG Impact Dashboard Project (2024–2027). She is also actively engaged in international academic forums as a speaker, panelist, and fellow across Asia, Europe, and the Pacific.
In addition to her academic work, Dr. Gonzales contributes as an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Reviewer for the Philippine Environmental Management Bureau and has served as a consultant and researcher on international projects related to trade, development, environmental risk, and sustainability governance.
Her work reflects a strong commitment to advancing sustainability, climate resilience, and evidence-based environmental policy through interdisciplinary research, education, and stakeholder engagement.
Assoc. Prof. Jagjit Plahe
Plenary Speaker
Monash University
Australia
Assoc. Prof. Jagjit Plahe is a distinguished academic in the Department of Management at Monash University, with a strong commitment to global justice, equitable development, and sustainability. Her work spans teaching, research, and community engagement, with a particular focus on international political economy, global food security, agri-food production networks, and the organisation of equitable and sustainable food systems through agroecology, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, including India.
Before joining academia, she worked in the NGO sector on trade and development in Nairobi and Melbourne, and with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the Global Environmental Outlook Report. She believes in conducting research that makes demonstrable contributions to people, society, and the environment, often collaborating with community-based organisations and NGOs across India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Uganda, and the Pacific Islands.
Assoc. Prof. Plahe has secured significant interdisciplinary research funding and led multiple projects on food security, sustainability, and agroecology. These include grants from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grant, supporting work on food security, local knowledge governance, and climate-resilient agri-food systems.
In her teaching, she is dedicated to excellence and innovation, serving as Chief Examiner for subjects including International Trade Policy and International Institutions and Organisations. Her contributions to education have been recognised with multiple awards, including the Monash Graduate Association’s Lecturer of the Year, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity and Social Inclusion Education, and several Dean’s Commendations for Outstanding
She has supervised numerous postgraduate and doctoral students whose research aligns with responsible management, social justice, and sustainable development. Beyond academia, she actively contributes to community service through short courses, NGO collaborations, and editorial board work, reflecting her commitment to impactful research and public engagement.
Dr. Hok Lyda
Plenary Speaker
Dean, Faculty of Agriculture Education and Communications
Director, Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition
(CE SAIN)
Cambodia
Lyda Hok, Royal University of Agriculture
Phnom Penh, Cambodia | hoklyda@rua.edu.kh | (+855) 12 576594
Dr. Kayode A. SANNI
Plenary Speaker - Virtual
Global Lead
Biotech Maize Seed System
(BMSS/ABMAN)
Kenya
Kayode Abiola Sanni is a senior agricultural development leader with over 30 years of progressive experience advancing science-based, scalable solutions that improve the productivity, resilience, and incomes of smallholder farmers across Africa. He currently serves as Global Lead for the Biotech Maize Seed System (BMSS/ABMAN) at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), providing strategic leadership for the deployment of TELA® maize and the development of sustainable, market-driven biotech seed systems across multiple African countries.
Kayode leads multi-country portfolios focused on systems-level impact, integrating research, regulatory pathways, policy engagement, commercialization of agricultural technologies and private-sector partnerships to ensure responsible and inclusive access to agricultural innovations. He is recognized for building durable public private partnerships (PPP), strengthening local seed companies, and moving proven technologies beyond pilots to scale, delivering measurable gains in productivity, climate resilience, and household incomes. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD), contributing to continental strategies, donor alignment, and policy reforms that support sustainable rice systems.
Previously at AATF, he served as Hybrid Rice Project Manager, founding the Alliance for Hybrid Rice in Africa (AHyRA) and leading the development and commercial release of Africa’s first indigenous two-line hybrid rice varieties, significantly expanding access to high-yielding, climate-resilient rice for smallholder farmers.
Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at AfricaRice, where he guided continent-wide genetic resources and varietal evaluation programs across 30 African countries, strengthening breeding pipelines and national institutions critical for long-term agricultural transformation. He represented African agricultural research in global policy and governance forums, including the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the CGIAR Inter-Center Working Group on Genetic Resources, contributing to evidence-based frameworks for equitable access, sustainability, and impact, while strengthening international collaboration and advancing strategies for genetic diversity management to support resilient agricultural systems.
Kayode holds a PhD in Plant Breeding and is a Nigerian national. He is a trusted leader known for translating donor investments into scalable, farmer-centered impact through strong partnerships, accountable delivery, and a sustained focus on long-term systems change.
Dr. Rida A. Shibli
Plenary Speaker - Physical
Director, Hamdi Mango Center for Scientific Research
University of Jordan
Founder, Faculty of Agricultural Technology
Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Jordan
Theme: “Biotechnology Research on Sustainable Agriculture”
Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan | r.shibli@ju.edu.jo | 0796862222