Danilo Fernández Ríos has a degree in Science (Biology) from the National University of Asunción. He did his postgraduate studies in Biological Sciences (Genetics) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, working with plant molecular genetics. He has a postgraduate diploma in Biotechnology, Industries and Business from the National University of Quilmes. He also has a Diploma in Science, Technology and Society CTS from the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT-Paraguay). He was a technical advisor in the curricular design of the Biotechnology Degree at the National University of Asuncion and later coordinator of that degree. He has been the coordinator of the Ad Hoc group of Safety Evaluation of the Agricultural Biosafety Commission of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. He has been a referee for specialized journals in the agricultural area and has directed undergraduate and postgraduate theses on subjects related to biotechnology. He has published in international indexed scientific journals. His work is mainly related to biotechnology and agri-food safety. He is a categorized researcher of the National Program of Incentive to Researchers (PRONII-CONACYT). He is currently a research professor at the National University of Asunción and a professor of Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics and Biosafety of Biotechnology at the same university. He also serves as Scientific Advisor in Biotechnology and Biosafety for the National Commission of Agricultural and Forestry Biosafety of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

Dr. Ann Kingiri is a Senior Research Fellow at the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS). She is a Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) policy and development researcher with a focus on inclusive and sustainable development in Africa. She heads the STI Knowledge and Society (STIKS) program as a director. She is also the Secretary General of The African Network for the Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (AfricaLics). She is currently serving as a member of a new International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Task Force on Synthetic Biology and Biodiversity Conservation. She also serves as a member of the GeneConvene Global Collaborative Advisory Board under the Foundation for the National Institute of Health (FNIH), USA. Ann is also serving as a non-executive director of Kenya Climate Innovation Centre (KCIC). She is visiting research and academic fellow at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), Kenya. Ann holds a BSc degree in Agriculture and an MSc degree in Plant Pathology both from the University of Nairobi, Kenya; A Master’s degree in Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology from Mache Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy, and a Ph.D. degree from the UK in Development Policy and Practice discipline focusing on new biosciences policy.

Dr. Stuart Smyth is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan, where he holds the Agri-Food Innovation and Sustainability Enhancement Chair. His research focuses on sustainability, agriculture, innovation and food. Dr. Smyth publishes a weekly blog on these topics at: www.SAIFood.ca. With well over 100 academic publications, Dr. Smyth is recognized as a leading expert on barriers to innovation and regulatory efficiency. His research focuses on regulatory barriers to food security, especially those that restrict investments into new plant breeding technologies, such as genome editing and that delay, or prevent, the commercialization of genetically modified crops. Recent publications include authored books with William Kerr and Peter Phillips, GM Agriculture and Food Security: Fears and Facts, published by CABI (2019) and Biotechnology Regulation and Trade, published by Springer (2017).