معرفی
Jan W. Low serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and as a principal scientist with the International Potato Center (CIP) in Nairobi, Kenya. With over 25 years of field experience across sub-Saharan Africa, she has pioneered research linking agricultural development to nutritional outcomes.
Education:
- Doctorate in Agricultural Economics (minor in Nutrition) from Cornell University
Dr. Low's research specializes in biofortification, particularly developing and promoting orange-fleshed sweetpotato to combat vitamin A deficiency. Her work integrates agricultural economics and nutrition science to address food insecurity, focusing on scalable solutions for smallholder farmers. She managed the decade-long Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA) project and co-led the Sweetpotato for Profit and Health Initiative (SPHI), which delivered improved sweetpotato varieties to 6.8 million households across 15 African nations through multi-donor partnerships.
Scientific Recognition:
- World Food Prize (2016) for biofortification breakthroughs, shared with Maria Andrade, Robert Mwanga, and Howarth Bouis
Her project leadership demonstrates exceptional grant management across complex international collaborations, including bilateral engagements with African governments and organizations like the World Food Prize Foundation. Current initiatives continue to expand sweetpotato's role in health-focused agricultural systems, as highlighted in her 2024 participation in the Tsujimoto Seminar Series on global development challenges.
