Head of the Genetic Resources-Genebank, International Potato Center (CIP), Peru
Dave Ellis is currently the Head of the Genetic Resources-Genebank at the International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima, Peru and is charged with overseeing the maintenance of the global in-trust collections of potato, sweetpotato and Andean Root and Tuber crops. He has been involved in the preservation of plant genetic resources for decades with experience in academia, private industry and the public sector. His research interests have spanned plant development, medicinal compounds in plants (taxol), plant molecular biology (modification of plant cell walls and control of plant reproduction), plant and insect ecology, cryobiology and conservation of plant genetic resources and diversity. Mr. Ellis was involved in the collection of teosinte (the immediate ancestor to maize) in Mexico, worked with native American tribes to preserve their plant genetic resources (principally Fraxinus (ash) seed) and is currently collaborating with indigenous communities in the Potato Park. He is a fellow for the Society for In Vitro Biology and a member of the scientific advisory committees for ANDES and SeedSavers. Previously he was an associate editor of In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology – Plant.
