Professor Naresh Magan completed his BSc (Hons) Botany and MSc (Plant Pathology) at Exeter University. He completed his PhD at Rothamsted Research (external student Reading University) in 1982 and was awarded his DSc in 2013 for his work on mycotoxins in food chains. He holds the Chair in Applied Mycology at Cranfield University and has carried out research on food security/safety and spoilage fungi for 35+ years.
Dr Kenneth Boote is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Florida, USA. He is widely regarded as a pioneer in crop modelling, helping to develop the DSSAT software application program that simulates growth for over 40 different crops. He is presently serving as Co-Lead for Crop Modeling in AgMIP, the global Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project. Amongst his many distinctions, Professor Boote is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Crop Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy.