Ismahane Elouafi

Dr Ismahane Elouafi is a leading global voice in agricultural science and innovation, currently serving as the Executive Managing Director of CGIAR – the world’s largest publicly funded agricultural research organisation. At a time of growing global food insecurity, Elouafi is at the forefront of efforts to reduce poverty, enhance food security, and improve nutrition through cutting-edge science and inclusive policy.

Throughout her distinguished career, Elouafi has championed the diversification of food systems as a pathway to resilience and sustainability. Her pioneering research on underutilised crops such as halophytes, including quinoa and Salicornia has advanced food security in saline-affected regions. As a trained geneticist, her contributions to wheat genetics have improved crop resilience and productivity, particularly in areas heavily reliant on wheat cultivation.

A prolific scientific author, Elouafi has contributed to leading scientific publications, including Nature, with influential work on foodomics, the Gaza food crisis, and biodiversity. She has held scientific and leadership roles across multiple international research organisations and served on several strategic expert panels and advisory groups, including the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA) and HarvestPlus.

Her governance experience spans multiple high-level boards, including the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI, USA), the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI, UK), and Canada’s Professional Development Institute. She was also a member of the Scientific Group for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit and previously served on the CGIAR System Board.

Elouafi’s impact has been recognised globally through numerous prestigious awards and honours. In 2025, she was named to the TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people. She is also a recipient of the National Reward Medal from His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco (2014), the Excellence in Science Award from the Global Thinkers Forum (2014), and the Jean Mayer Prize for Excellence in Nutrition Science and Policy (2022).

Elouafi holds a B.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences and an M.Sc. in Genetics and Plant Breeding from the Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine (Morocco), and a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Cordoba (Spain).