Iago Hale, PhD, Associate Professor of Specialty Crop Improvement
University of New Hampshire, Department of Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems
Iago is inspired by the potential of plant breeding to enhance health, rural livelihoods, food security, and ecosystem integrity. After studying Physics (B.A.) at Dartmouth College and living and working internationally for a number of years, including in East Africa, he attended the University of California - Davis, where he earned his M.S. in International Agricultural Development and Ph.D. in Horticulture and Agronomy (Plant Breeding specialization). Iago's current research activities are diverse and include pre-breeding (gene discovery and characterization) for rust resistance in wheat; breeding kiwiberry (Actinidia arguta) for the northeastern United States; and developing bioinformatic tools to support the improvement of orphan crop species. Working with colleagues at WACCI, CRIG, and ICRAF, Iago leads an NSF/BMGF-funded project to develop foundational genetic and genomic resources for the improvement of shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) for sub-Saharan Africa. Iago teaches a graduate-level course on the design, analysis, and interpretation of experiments at UNH and serves as a core instructor for the UC Davis African Plant Breeding Academy.