Mahmoud Solh
Dr. Mahmoud Solh assumed the office of Director General of ICARDA in May 2006. He has been associated with international agricultural research and development in the dry areas since 1972 when he became a staff member of the Arid Land Agricultural Development (ALAD) Program of the Ford Foundation in the Near East, the predecessor of ICARDA. He has served as Director of Plant Production and Protection Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for four years. Prior to that he served ICARDA for nearly 16 years in various capacities – as Lentil Breeder, Regional Food Legume Breeder in North Africa, Regional Coordinator of the Nile Valley and Red Sea Regional Program, and Assistant Director General for International Cooperation. Dr. Solh was a professor of Genetics and Plant Breeding at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon between 1980-1986. He holds a PhD in Genetics from the University of California, Davis, USA.