Leon Kochian, Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) at the University of Saskatchewan (Usask), has won the 2019 Arrell Global Food Innovation Award for “global excellence in food innovation.”
Adjudicated by internationally recognized scientists, the award from the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph recognizes global research leaders who have made exceptionally significant contributions to scientific understanding that will improve food security for the planet. The award carries a $100,000 cash prize.
Kochian, associate director of the USask Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) and a faculty member in the USask plant sciences and soil science departments of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, is internationally recognized for cutting-edge plant root systems research that aims to improve crop yields. His goal is to breed crops with healthier, more efficient root systems that can grow successfully in less fertile soils.
“This award recognizes the kind of scientific excellence that is needed more than ever to overcome the daunting global challenge of feeding 9.7-billion people by 2050,” said USask Vice-President Research Karen Chad. “With Leon Kochian’s research pre-eminence and leadership, supported by the Global Institute for Food Security and our dynamic food security research cluster, we are poised to provide transformative and sustainable research solutions to help feed a growing world.”
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