Umezuruike Linus Opara is a chartered agricultural engineer, a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa, and a Distinguished Professor at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, where he holds the DST-NRF South African Research Chair in Postharvest Technology. He joined Stellenbosch University in 2009, and is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). He graduated in agricultural engineering from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, and holds a PhD from Massey University in New Zealand. His multi-disciplinary research team is the leading group worldwide working on postharvest practices that improve the postharvest handling, packaging and marketing of pomegranate fruit. He is recognised globally as the leading individual researcher on the postharvest technology of pomegranates. His current research focuses on innovative postharvest technologies for reducing losses, maintaining quality and adding value to agricultural and horticultural products. He is the 2015 Laureate of the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Continental Scientific Award for Life and Earth Science. He serves on the Executive Committee of the International Society for Horticultural Science and is the President of the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR). Recently, he was recognised by the African Union with the AU Kwame Nkrumah Continental Scientific Award for senior researchers, and is the 2015 IMPRESSA Award laureate.