Dr. Channa S. Prakash, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Tuskegee University (USA) where he has served on faculty since 1989, is professor of crop genetics, biotechnology. Dr. Prakash is a leading proponent of science-based agricultural development, especially in the use of molecular techniques including genetically modified crops and genome engineering. His lab was among the first to develop transgenic sweet potato and peanut plants and conduct pioneering genomic studies on the peanut.
Dr. Prakash has been a global leader in enhancing the societal awareness of crop and food biotechnology issues around the world for nearly three decades. Dr. Prakash was recognized for his outstanding work: 2015 Borlaug CAST Communication Award, recognized by Huffington Post as among the Top 30 social influencers in biopharma and biotech. He is globally ranked as number #1 influencer on 'agricultural biotechnology' issues.