As Chief Scientist, Dr. Achim Dobermann provides strategic scientific advice to the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) and its members on promoting responsible plant nutrition and enhancing nutrient stewardship worldwide. He served as Director & CEO of Rothamsted Research in the UK (2014-2019), Deputy Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI, 2008-2014), Professor of Soil Science and Nutrient Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA (2000-2007), and as a Soil Nutrient Specialist at IRRI (1992-2000). He received his MSc in Tropical Agriculture and PhD in Soil Science from the University of Leipzig in Germany. Dr. Dobermann has over 30 years of field experience working in every region of the world on science and technology for sustainable farming, with particular emphasis on soil science, plant nutrition and agronomy. He has published on a wide range of agricultural issues and also leads a Massive Open Online Course on Feeding a Hungry Planet: Agriculture, Nutrition and Sustainability. He believes that taking risks, working in the field, and being critical and unselfish are the most important things for succeeding in agricultural research.