Dr. Hale Ann Tufan

2019 Borlaug Field Award Recipient, Associate Professor, Cornell University

Hale Ann Tufan leads the Equitable Agricultural Research (EQUAL) Lab at Cornell University which brings together researchers with experience in plant breeding, agricultural economics, GIS, anthropology, gender studies and science and technology studies to contribute to equitable crop improvement theory and practice. She explores how agricultural research processes and outputs can positively contribute to gender equality and social inclusion. Through her research to develop methods and approaches, she enables gender analysis in agricultural innovation while advocating for inclusive agricultural research by challenging power and norms in the research ecosystem. Hale serves in leadership positions of several grant-funded projects, including priority setting co-lead of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement, principal investigator of the Gender Responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation (GREAT) project and principal investigator of Muhogo Bora: Cassava for All. Hale brings a multidisciplinary background to her research spanning Ph.D.-level research in molecular plant pathogen interactions, plant breeding with CIMMYT, international agricultural research for development program management and gender research and capacity development across sub-Saharan Africa. She is the 2019 recipient of the Norman Borlaug Field Award.