Theresa Sengooba

Dr Theresa Sengooba is the senior advisor to the Program for Biosafety system (PBS), a program hosted by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and implemented in Uganda by the National Council for Science and Technology. This job involves policy reviews and capacity building for biosafety; facilitating the development of a functional biotech regulatory system; and communication and outreach for improved understanding of the technology and its regulation. Dr Sengooba is also involved in a Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) program designed to promote regional harmonization of biosafety regulatory systems. She chairs the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for the Bio-Innovate program hosted by the International Livestock Research Institute and is a member of the Uganda National Agricultural Research Organization Governing Council.

Before joining PBS, Dr Sengooba worked for the National Agricultural Research system (NARO) from a research scientist grade to the level of Deputy Director General. She has contributed to agricultural institutional management at various levels including serving on several steering committees of regional crop based commodity programs and on boards of International Agricultural Research Centres: the International Plant Genetic Research Institute and the International Potato Centre. She chaired the Millennium Science Initiative Technical Advisory Committee between 2007and 2013 and served on a PanAfrican program, the African Biosafety Network (ANBE) as a member of TAC from 2010 to 2013.

Dr Sengooba holds a PhD in plant virology from Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania. She has an MSc in plant mycology and BSc in botany and zoology from Makerere University, Uganda.