Melaku A Gedil is a Principal Scientist, molecular geneticist, and molecular breeder at IITA. He has over 20 years of post-PhD work experience participating in cutting-edge research at IITA and other academic and research institutions in the USA. At IITA, he has served as the Head of the Bioscience Center for over 8 years. He obtained his first degree (Plant Sciences) in 1985 from the Addis Abeba University, and his second degree (Agronomy) in 1993 from the Alemaya University of Agriculture, Ethiopia in plant breeding. He received his Ph.D. in Agronomy and Crop Science from Oregon State University in 1999. He has extensive knowledge of the application of molecular markers to the improvement of crops. His current research activities focus on applying functional genomics techniques to develop an efficient and effective molecular breeding program mainly for maize and cassava as well as for soybean, cowpea, and yam. He is particularly interested in introducing cost-effective and high-throughput genotyping techniques that are feasible in developing countries.