Speakers List

Dr. Edward Buckler is a world-renowned geneticist pioneering the use of genomic and statistical tools to sustain agriculture and address climate change. Based at Cornell University with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), his research group focuses on dissecting complex traits in maize and other diverse crops to accelerate breeding for higher nutrition, water efficiency, and disease resistance. Dr. Buckler’s innovations in quantitative genetics, including the development of Nested Association Mapping (NAM), have transformed our understanding of plant diversity and modern breeding methodologies. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a recipient of numerous awards, including the inaugural NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences. He is deeply committed to open-source science, creating software tools used globally to secure sustainable food systems.