Professor Magdy Madkour, is Professor of Biotechnology at the Arid Lands Agricultural Research Institute, Ain Shams University, Egypt; and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Security, BioMed Central. Former Chairman of the Technical Committee, Agricultural Research and Development Fund (ARDF), Agricultural R&D Council, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt, Senior Advisor to Bibliotheca Alexandrina. He served as the Assistant Director General for International Cooperation, ICARDA (2004-2006). Prof. Madkour obtained his PhD from the University of Wales, UK in Physiological Plant Pathology; was appointed Professor of Plant Pathology, Alexandria University, Egypt (1982-1989), Visiting Professor, University of California, Davis (1989/1990). In 1990, he established the Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI-Egypt), appointed Vice-President, then President of the Agricultural Research Center, Egypt (2001-2004). He served on the Technical Advisory Committee of the CGIAR (1996-2000), and on the Board of Trustees of ICARDA and IPGRI (Bioversity). In 2007, he was decorated with Egypt’s Presidential Gold Medal as recipient of the State Award of appreciation in Advanced Agricultural Technologies. He also received three AOAD awards for scientific excellence, the FAO World Food Day recognition in 2001, and the TWAS Arab Regional Prize in 2012. Three patents for novel biological insecticides were issued in his name. Prof. Madkour authored 136 peer reviewed scientific publications, and contributed with chapters in 7 international books.