Achim is Director and Chief Executive of Rothamsted Research, where he provides leadership for a wide range of research programmes that aim to develop solutions for the sustainable intensification of agricultural systems.

 

He has more than 30 years of field research experience from all regions of the world. He received a MSc in Tropical Agriculture and a PhD in Soil Science from the University of Leipzig in Germany.

 

In 1992, he joined the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) as a soil scientist, followed by an appointment as a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 2000 to 2007. From 2008 to 2014, he served as deputy director general for research at IRRI.

 

As a member of the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (unsdsn.org), Achim contributes to implementing the new Sustainable Development Goals