Robert T. Fraley
2013 World Food Prize Laureate, Monsanto
Dr. Robert Fraley is executive vice president and chief technology officer at Monsanto. He has been with the company for more than 35 years, and currently oversees the company’s global technology division which includes plant breeding, plant biotechnology, ag biologicals, ag microbials, precision agriculture and crop protection. Dr. Fraley is recognized as the father of agricultural biotechnology, and has been involved in ag research since the early 1980s. He has authored more than 100 publications and patent applications. Dr. Fraley’s discoveries and applications of science are also routinely recognized for the tremendous impact they’ve had in supporting farmers and the agriculture demands of our planet. His honors include: a World Food Prize Laureate (2013), the National Medal of Technology from President Clinton (1998), the National Academy of Sciences Award for the Industrial Application of Science for his work on crop improvement (2008), among other recognitions.