Dr. Thomas Hilger studied ,Agricultural Sciences at the Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, Germany. Currently he is the acrocomia hub manager at the Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics, University of Hohenheim Stuttgart, Germany. His expertise is in tropical crop science, including crop physiology and management, the improvement of cropping systems, and soil conservation, with ample research experience in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. Since the mid-nineteen-nineties, his research has focused on neglected crops, with a strong emphasis on bioeconomy, among them promising crops such as Acrocomia ssp., Musa textilis, and Ananas lucidus.