Forming collaborations with the Ministry of Agriculture to tackle sustainable crop production challenges

Dr. Jedaidah Chilufya-Scalessa is a mom, mentor, educator, and plant biologist. Born and raised in Zambia, she went to the U.S. to pursue graduate studies. She is currently a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she completed her doctoral studies in plant genetics and microbiology. Her research focussed on finding ways to sustainably increase food production using legumes. 

She is a member of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) and award-winning fellow of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Her research with legumes has received several awards including, from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Lotta M. Crabtree Fellowship in Production Agriculture Research, Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O) International Peace Scholarship (IPS), and the Harvard University Cunin/Sigal Research Award of the Arnold Arboretum.

Dr. Chilufya-Scalessa teaches Biology, Genetics, Microbiology and Bioinformatics and hands-on research to undergraduate and pre-college high school students. She is…