UG Alumnus Inducted into Australian Academy of Sciences

Professor Evans Lagudah, an alumnus of the University of Ghana (Crop Science, 1980) has been inducted as a fellow of The Australian Academy of Sciences.  Professor Evans Lagudah a Chief Research Scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research, Australia, researches disease resistance in plants to help address global food security. 

Professor Evans Lagudah credits roaming through a maze of crops where his father worked at the West African Cocoa Research Institute in Ghana with sparking his interest in science.

"Unlike human beings that can run away when they are under attack, plant defences are all confined within their own genetic makeup," he said.

By finding the genes involved in the plant defence for wheat his research team then look for similar gene fingerprints in other crops of interest.  He is dedicated to unlocking genetic understanding so crops can withstand attack from multiple diseases.

Rather than using genetic modification, his team are focused on "gene prospecting" to find similar gene profiles that occur naturally in maize, rice, sorghum and other crops.

Prof. Lagudah finds fulfilment in seeing his field and laboratory work create change for growers and improve global food security.

"A crop like wheat provides 20 per cent of the global calorific intake, so you being to think about the impact of what you do in your science impacting on livelihoods," he said.

"To capture the imagination of a number of young people coming up we need to remind them that one of the biggest drivers is the idea you can put your mind to making a difference."

Professor Evans Lagudah is a Visiting Professor at the University of Ghana’s West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI). http://www.wacci.edu.gh/

 

Culled from http://www.canberratimes.com.au/technology/sci-tech/australian-academy-of-science-inducts-21-new-fellows-including-ian-chubb-20170519-gw8sk8.html