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For 50 years, ILRI\u2014and its predecessors, ILRAD and ILCA\u2014has been that community, mentoring, inspiring, and equipping researchers to become leaders, innovators, and changemakers.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0027It was at ILCA as a graduate fellow [that] I cut my teeth as a scientist-in-waiting . . . \u0026nbsp;In that inspiring research environment, it was easy to find outstanding role models and world class scientists all in one pool!\u0027\u003Cbr\u003E- Yemi Akinbamijo, an ILRI alumnus and former executive director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor many, the most enduring legacy of their time at ILRI is the ethos it instills. Oumar Diall, a Malian scientist who spent six months at ILRAD as a young man learning laboratory techniques, recalls, \u0027What I imbibed about laboratory culture during those six months became the benchmark for all my subsequent research endeavors, including my years as director of Mali\u0027s Central Veterinary Laboratory.\u0027\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs outlined in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10568\/108972\u0022\u003EThe Impact of the International Livestock Research Institute\u003C\/a\u003E (2020; see also the code and data here), approximately 10% of the institution\u2019s annual budget over the past half-century has been consistently dedicated to training and mentoring future scientists.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0027It would be a crime to conduct first-rate research in first-rate research facilities and not offer first-rate training to the next generation of young researchers.\u0027\u003Cbr\u003E- Ross Gray, ILRAD director general 1981\u20131994\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough graduate training, secondments, group workshops, and advisory services, ILRI has helped to build a cadre of livestock researchers and thought leaders across Africa and Asia. Its \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ilri.org\/capacity-development#:~:text=Capacity%20development%20at%20ILRI%20involves,in%20agricultural%20research%20and%20development.\u0022\u003Egraduate fellowship program\u003C\/a\u003E alone has mentored thousands of MSc and PhD students from national agricultural research organizations and universities.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EThe BecA-ILRI Hub: Building biosciences leaders\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAmong ILRI\u2019s standout initiatives has been the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ilri.org\/research\/programs\/beca-ilri-hub\u0022\u003EBiosciences eastern and central Africa-ILRI Hub\u003C\/a\u003E (BecA-ILRI Hub). With state-of-the-art biosciences facilities and world-class staffing, the Hub provides scientists with cutting-edge tools and techniques, enabling them to innovate solutions tailored specifically to African contexts.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EA legacy of lasting connections\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe networks formed by the BecA-ILRI Hub and other ILRI initiatives span continents, disciplines, and decades, empowering alumni to lead, collaborate, and innovate throughout their careers. Below are a few of the many remarkable individuals who have walked ILRI\u2019s halls and gone on to leadership roles.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EGlobal leaders in livestock and agriculture\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/yemi-akinbamijo-a28426176\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYemi Akinbamijo\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E (Nigeria)\u003C\/strong\u003E: ILCA doctoral student who went on to work as a university lecturer and crop-livestock researcher and then served as director of the African Union Inter-African Phytosanitary Council, after which he led the agriculture and food security division at the African Union Commission before serving for a decade as executive director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA).\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ilri.org\/people\/appolinaire-djikeng\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAppolinaire Djikeng\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E (Cameroon)\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0026nbsp;Molecular biologist who served as technology manager and then director of the Biosciences east and central Africa-ILRI Hub, then director of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health. Djikeng now serves as ILRI\u0027s director general.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/simeon-ehui-16380012\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESimeon Ehui\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E (C\u00f4te d\u0027Ivoire)\u003C\/strong\u003E: Agricultural economist who led the ILCA \/ ILRI policy program before moving to become regional director for sustainable development for Africa at the World Bank. Ehui now serves as director general of CGIAR\u0027s International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA).\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/andrew-mude-6ab014267\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAndrew Mude\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E (Kenya)\u003C\/strong\u003E: Agricultural economist who led ILRI\u0027s pioneering Index-Based Livestock Insurance project, for which he won the 2016 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.ilri.org\/2016\/08\/31\/kenyan-economist-andrew-mude-wins-the-2016-norman-borlaug-award-for-field-research-and-application\/\u0022\u003ENorman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application\u003C\/a\u003E by the World Food Prize Foundation. Mude now serves as team lead manager at the African Development Bank Group.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dr-jemimah-njuki-88b57045\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJemimah Njuki\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E (Kenya)\u003C\/strong\u003E: ILRI gender leader who went on to lead CARE\u2019s women in agriculture program, to coordinate an International Development Research Centre (IDRC) program, and to serve as Africa director for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Njuki now serves as chief of economic empowerment at UN Women.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/professor-lindiwe-majele-sibanda-16592327\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELindiwe Majele Sibanda\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E (Zimbabwe)\u003C\/strong\u003E: Former ILCA doctoral student who went on to head up the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), then served on the boards of ILRI, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and Nestl\u00e9 and became vice president of AGRA (Sustainably Growing Africa\u0027s Food Systems). Sibanda now serves as chair of the CGIAR Integrated Partnership Board.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EAcademic and research trailblazers\u003C\/h4\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/herrero-mario\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMario Herrero (Costa Rica)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E: ILRI food systems and global change science leader who later become chief scientist of sustainability at Australia\u2019s national science agency (CSIRO). Herrero now serves as professor in Cornell\u0027s Department of Global Development and director of Cornell\u0027s Food Systems and Global Change Department. He has served on numerous high-level initiatives (Global Food Systems Countdown, Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), EAT-Lancet, Global Burden of Animal Diseases), has been elected to the \u003Ca href=\u0022\/\/news.cornell.edu\/stories\/2024\/05\/four-cornell-professors-elected-national-academy\u0022\u003EUS National Academy of Science\u003C\/a\u003E, and has been ranked by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/investigates\/special-report\/climate-change-scientists-list\/\u0022\u003EReuters\u003C\/a\u003E as among the world\u0027s top ten most influential climate change scientists.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/hung-nguyen-viet-5b3b6213\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHung Nguyen-Viet (Viet Nam)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E: Environmental epidemiology leader of ILRI\u2019s health program, Nguyen employs One Health approaches linking agriculture and health. His extensive studies on food safety, antimicrobial resistance, and infectious and zoonotic diseases has provided evidence-based policy interventions influencing national and regional strategies. He is a member of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.who.int\/groups\/scientific-advisory-group-on-the-origins-of-novel-pathogens-(sago)\u0022\u003EWHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens\u003C\/a\u003E and of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.who.int\/groups\/one-health-high-level-expert-panel\u0022\u003EOne Health High-Level Expert Panel for the Quadripartite organizations (FAO, UNEP, WHO, WOAH)\u003C\/a\u003E and was one of ten international experts in a WHO team studying the origins of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China, in 2021.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/brian-perry-b69a679b\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBrian Perry (UK)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E: ILRI veterinary epidemiologist program leader who went on to serve as chair of the scientific advisory board of Afrique One Aspire and advisor to the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicine (GALVmed). Among his many awards are Officer of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.intvetvaccnet.co.uk\/users\/brian-perry\u0022\u003EOrder of the British Empire (2002)\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/clippings.ilri.org\/2012\/10\/01\/british-veterinary-association-bestows-award-on-former-ilri-veterinary-scientist-brian-perry\/\u0022\u003ETrevor Blackburn Award from the British Veterinary Association (2012)\u003C\/a\u003E, and an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.slu.se\/en\/about-slu\/academic-ceremonies\/honorary-doctors\/\u0022\u003Ehonorary doctorate from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (2015)\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/delia-grace-04764b14\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDelia Grace Randolph (Ireland)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E: Veterinary epidemiologist and ILRI health program leader and now joint scientist with ILRI and the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Chatham. Among her several international awards are the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/a4nh.cgiar.org\/2014\/09\/29\/a4nh-flagship-leader-receives-2014-trevor-blackburn-award\/\u0022\u003ETrevor Blackburn Award from the British Veterinary Association (2014)\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ilri.org\/news\/ilri-scientist-delia-grace-wins-2022-arrell-global-food-innovation-award-research-innovation\u0022\u003EArrell Global Food Innovation Award for Research Impact (2022)\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nri.org\/latest\/news\/2022\/nri-professor-wins-the-peter-ellis-award-for-veterinary-epidemiology\u0022\u003EPeter Ellis ISVEE Award (2022)\u003C\/a\u003E, and an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cgiar.org\/news-events\/news\/delia-grace-honorary-doctorate-slu\/\u0022\u003Ehonorary doctorate from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (2024)\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Robin_Reid_(environmental_scientist)\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERobin Reid (USA)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E: ILRI ecologist and program leader who later directed the Center for Collaborative Conservation at Colorado State University. Recently retired, Reid is author of the book \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Savannas-Our-Birth-People-Wildlife\/dp\/0520273559\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESavannas of Our Birth: People, Wildlife, and Change in East Africa\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (2012) and co-narrator of a 60-Minutes television show on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GnK7gNXxb3c\u0022\u003E\u2018The Great Migration\u2019\u003C\/a\u003E. Reid won the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.esa.org\/blog\/2012\/06\/28\/ecological-society-of-america-announces-2012-award-recipients\/\u0022\u003EEcological Society of America Sustainability Award in 2012\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/international.colostate.edu\/2014\/07\/15\/csu-professor-robin-reid-receives-michael-p-malone-international-leadership-award-2\/\u0022\u003EMichael P. Malone International Leadership Award in 2014\u003C\/a\u003E and was elected to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasonline.org\/news\/national-academy-of-sciences-elects-new-members-including-a-record-number-of-women-and-international-members\/\u0022\u003EUS National Academy of Sciences in 2021\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPhilip Thornton (UK)\u003C\/strong\u003E: ILRI agricultural systems analyst and leader of ILRI\u0027s impact assessment and climate change groups who went on to serve as flagship leader of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). Among ILRI\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/investigates\/special-report\/climate-change-scientists-list\/\u0022\u003Emost prolific\u003C\/a\u003E and high-quality scientific publishers, Thornton now works with Clim-Eat, a Netherlands-based \u2018think-and-do-tank\u2019 where he continues to advance work on climate change and food security.\u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EA ripple effect across generations and borders\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA conservative estimate suggests that ILRI\u2019s Nairobi campus alone has mentored and trained approximately 15,000 Kenyans over the past 50 years, with a comparable number of Ethiopian trainees in that period. This does not account for the countless other scientists from across the globe who have spent formative periods in their professional lives at ILRI\u0027s campuses, including, for example, 35 Borlaug-Ruan interns, generating lasting impacts.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EArticle written by Susan MacMillan, ILRI Emeritus Fellow\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003Caside class=\u0022col-md-3 col-sm-12\u0022\u003E\n                   \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph paragraph--type--contacts paragraph--view-mode--default\u0022\u003E\n            \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph paragraph--type--author\u0022\u003E\n      \n  \u003Cfigure\u003E\n      \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/picture\/public\/2025-09\/Boni%20Moyo.jpg.webp?itok=m8m8l6zu\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022 height=\u0022200\u0022 alt=\u0022Boni Moyo\u0022 class=\u0022image-style-picture\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\n\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022wrapper\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Ch4\u003E\n  Siboniso (Boni) Moyo\n\n      \u003Csmall\u003E  Deputy Director General Partnerships \u0026amp; Impact\n\u003C\/small\u003E\n      \u003C\/h4\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022paragraph paragraph--type--author\u0022\u003E\n      \n  \u003Cfigure\u003E\n      \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/picture\/public\/2025-09\/Leah%20Symekher.jpg.webp?itok=BOs74Q0P\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022 height=\u0022200\u0022 alt=\u0022Leah Symekher\u0022 class=\u0022image-style-picture\u0022 \/\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\n\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022wrapper\u0022\u003E\n      \u003Ch4\u003E\n  Leah Symekher\n\n      \u003Csmall\u003E  ILRI Senior Manager, Capacity Development\n\u003C\/small\u003E\n      \u003C\/h4\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n      \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n          \u003C\/aside\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/section\u003E\n\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/article\u003E\n","settings":null}]