Jose Maria Barrero

Dr. Jose Barrero Sanchez is a Research Scientist at CSIRO, leading the Legume Engineering Team, within the Pests and Diseases Group, where he is developing improved cowpea varieties with in-built protection against insects and with enhanced photosynthetic capacity. His team was awarded with the 2023 CSIRO Chair’s Medal for Science and Engineering Excellence, for developing the Pod-Borer Resistant cowpea, the world's first GM cowpea, an insect resistant variety now available to farmers in Nigeria and Ghana, bringing food security for smallholder farmers.