Dr Andrew Newhouse has been working on projects that overlap the fields of conservation biology and molecular biology since 2003. Starting in 2007 he has worked with the American Chestnut Research & Restoration Project, at the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science & Forestry. This project has developed transgenic American chestnut trees that tolerate chestnut blight, a disease that nearly extirpated mature trees from their native range in the eastern USA. Andrew’s contributions to this project have ranged from molecular analyses to ecological comparisons, and his current focus is on the federal regulatory review process that is required before transgenic trees can be distributed or used for restoration.

Director of The American Chestnut Research & Restoration Program Dr William A Powell received his BS in biology in 1982 at Salisbury University, MD, and his PhD in 1986 at Utah State University studying the molecular mechanisms of hypovirulence in the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica. He spent over two years as a postdoctoral associate at University of Florida researching transformation techniques using the fungal pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum. In 1989 he became a faculty member at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse, NY, where he began collaborating with his colleague, Dr Charles Maynard, developing methods to transform American chestnut (Castanea dentata) and testing resistance enhancing genes, culminating in a blight-tolerant American chestnut tree. He has also worked with American elm, Ozark chinquapin, Allegheny chinquapin, hybrid poplar, and Arabidopsis. Dr Powell currently has over 70 publications and one patent. He teaches courses in Principles of Genetics, Plant Biotechnology, and How to Present Research to the Public.

With over 20 years of experience in a Global Chemical, agrochemical, seeds, and biotechnology-based company, Ana has wide experience of seeds and biotechnology regulation, governmental affairs, compliance, and stewardship. Ana has obtained commercial approval for more than 15 new events in corn, cotton, and soybeans by the Brazilian National Technical Biosafety Committee (CTNBio) and by the Paraguayan Forestry and Agricultural National Biosafety Committee (CONBio). She has managed initiatives on communications and educational programs related to best agronomy practices (Insect Resistance Management, Weed Resistance Management, and Application Technology) and led the implementation of the communication process, working directly with advertising and marketing agencies, developing special communications projects for internal and external audiences, digital communications strategies, events, and promotional activities. Ana holds an undergraduate degree in Technological Chemistry from the State University of Campinas and a graduate degree in Crop Protection from the Federal University of Viçosa, and in Biotechnology from the Federal University of Lavras. At FuturaGene, Suzano´s biotechnology division, Ana leads the Regulatory, Compliance, and Product Stewardship team in Brazil and the strategic planning and execution process to grant approval of new GM eucalyptus varieties in Brazil. She also participates in Suzano’s internal discussions on Sustainable Intensification and Forest Certification issues. Ana represents FuturaGene and its parent company, Suzano, in the Brazilian International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) and CropLife Brazil.

Dr. Leena Tripathi is a Plant Biotechnologist with experience in the genetic improvement of important staple food crops to control diseases and pests. She is the Director for Eastern Africa and Leader of the Biotechnology research group at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). She also provides science leadership as a faculty member of various institutions, such as Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland, Australia and Faculty member of BecA/ILRI hub, and Support Leader for the CGIAR Research Program Root, Tubers and Banana (CRP-RTB). She is serving as Editorial Board Member for Plant Biotechnology Journal, Communication Biology, Frontiers in Genome Editing, Scientific Reports, and Plant Cell Reports. Besides, she is also an active member of many scientific societies and serving as a GMO expert. Her scientific contributions have been recognized internationally through several awards and honors, such as excellence awards for outstanding scientist and publications. She has been honored as an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for contributions to Agriculture. After obtaining a Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology, she began her career as a Research Scientist at the University of North Carolina, USA. After that, she has worked for over 21 years at IITA in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. She has been promoted through the ranks to her current position as the Eastern Africa Hub Director. Her team has successfully established a robust genetic transformation platform for the banana and yam at IITA to develop genetically modified and genome-edited products and transfer these technologies to national agricultural research systems in Africa and beyond. Her group's research outputs have been published in about 100 articles in refereed journals with high impact factors like Nature Biotechnology or book chapters. Her research has been featured in more than 200 national and international news articles and documentary films like CNN- Earth's Frontiers and Food Evolution.