BOGOTA, Colombia –Álvaro Gaitán has been designated as the new Director of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation’s (FNC) National Coffee Research Center (Cenicafé). Dr. Gaitán holds a B.A in Microbiology from Universidad de los Andes, a PhD in Phytopathology from Cornell University.
He has developed studies in Coffee, Genetic Resources and Intellectual Property, Genomics and Bioinformatics, Data Mining and Leadership.
Under the direction of Dr. Gaitán, Cenicafé will focus on increasing the profitability of Colombian coffee growing through research and applied science. Dr. Gaitán has developed research in Genetic Improvement and Phytopathology for the FNC since 1989 and has coordinated the Phytopathology department at the Federation for the past 16 years.
Dr. Gaitán is the coauthor of the American Phytopathological Society’s Compendium of Pests and Diseases and has authored seventeen publications in referenced journals, twelve book chapters, educational material on technology transfer and has two patents in coffee biotechnology.
In addition to providing trainings to coffee growers and to the Extension Service, Dr. Gaitán has been an invited speaker to events in Colombia, the United States, Central America, Europe, Brazil and India.
By integrating state-of-the-art scientific developments and conventional technologies, his recent research in Cenicafé has centered in finding solutions to agricultural challenges in terms of productivity, disease management, germplasm characterization and interaction of coffee with the environment.
