Prof Prabhu Pingali is Professor of Applied Economics in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, with a joint appointment in the Division of Nutritional Sciences and Department of Global Development. Prof. Pingali is the founding director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI). Prior to joining Cornell, he was the Deputy Director of the Agricultural Development Division of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, from 2008 to May 2013. He was Director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Agriculture and Development Economics Division from 2002-2007.
In addition, he worked with the CGIAR for 15 years from 1987-2002, first with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines and then with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico. Professor Pingali is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and an Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Fellow. He has over three decades of experience working with some of the leading international agricultural development organizations as a research economist, development practitioner, and senior manager. He has written 13 books and over 120 refereed journal articles and book chapters on food policy. Prof. Pingali is currently the Chair of the ICRISAT Governing Board.