As IRRI’s Representative Director for Asia, Jongsoo coordinates the institute's activities and ensures that the strategies of IRRI are aligned with the priorities and needs of the region. Jongsoo was IRRI’s representative in Myanmar from 2016 to 2019. Prior to rejoining IRRI as Asia Representative, he worked as the Director General and Country Director of Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

Emma Quicho has more than 20 years of work experience focused on agricultural research. She started working with maize and, for the past 17 years, on rice-based ecosystems. Mrs. Quicho had the opportunity to characterize the different upland maize production systems in 24 locations across eight maize-growing regions in the Philippines under a CIMMYT project in 2001-2004. She was engaged in outscaling water-saving technologies for rice production in Asia by coordinating its dissemination and implementation with NARES partners.

Matthew is IRRI’s director general with decades of leadership experience driven by a passion for scientific excellence, an understanding of private-public partnerships, a sound capacity for stakeholder engagement, protection of intellectual property, and people engagement skills. Matthew is the institute’s chief executive officer (CEO), directly managing and administering its affairs in accordance with the policies and decisions of the IRRI Board of Trustees. He sets the institute’s strategic direction in close consultation with the board.

Sudhir Yadav currently works as Senior Scientist - Water Management at the Sustainable Impact through Rice-based Systems platform of IRRI where he heads the Soil, Water, and Environment unit. His major areas of expertise encompass integrated water management, system agronomy, and environmental sustainability.

Arvind is a fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences since 2015. As a senior scientist and plant breeder at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), he brings with him over 25 years of work experience in the agriculture sector including his current role as the Director of the IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC), located in Varanasi, India and as IRRI’s representative for the country.