Dr. Maythem AL-Amery is the Team Leader for the CTRF and leads the CTRF’s Agronomy Program. Maythem received his B.Sc. in Agronomy and M.Sc. in Crop Science at the University of Baghdad, and Ph.D. in Integrated Plant and Soil Science at the University of Kentucky. He has experience conducting agronomic research and developing varieties of various crops across different countries. In 2021, Maythem began working for the CTRF. He oversees the activities of the CTRF and provides hands-on support to the CTRF’s research programs.
Dr. Godfried Amankwa is the Team Lead of the CTRF’s Plant Breeding Program. He received his B.Sc. from the University of Ghana and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Plant Breeding from the University of Guelph. His professional background is in plant breeding and agronomy. Dr. Amankwa started working for CTRF as the Agronomy Team Lead in 2001 and in 2012 as the Plant Breeding Team Lead. Currently his research involves variety development and evaluation with a major emphasis on pest and disease resistance.
Assisting Dr. Amankwa in the Plant Breeding Program is Assistant research technician Anna Thiessen. Anna also has a joint appointment to assist Dr. AL-Amery in the Agronomy Program. Anna joined CTRF in 2021.
Dr. Catarina Saude is the Team Lead of the CTRF’s Plant Protection Program. She received her B. Sc. in Plant Production from the University Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique, and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Oklahoma State University, U.S.A. Dr. Saude worked as a Research Plant Pathologist for vegetable and horticultural crops in the Department of Plant Pathology, Michigan State University, and in the Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph. She started work at the CTRF in 2014. Her work focuses on developing effective tobacco disease and pest control methods.
Assisting Dr. Saude in the Plant Protection Program is technician Althea Shearer. Althea is also responsible for operation of the CTRF’s chemistry lab. She began working full-time for the CTRF in 2003. Prior to this, Althea worked part-time for the CTRF and for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in various tobacco related programs and the transition crops program.