Ethiopian-born scientist, Gebisa Ejeta has received the prestigious National Medal of Science award, the highest state honour attainable by scientists in the United States.
The award, which was personally handed to Ejeta by US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, was for his “outstanding contributions to the science of plant genetics”, according to his citation read out at the award event.
According to his profile, Ejeta is acclaimed as one of the world’s leading plant geneticists who specializes in the study of sorghum, a popular source of food in Africa.
In 2009, Ejeta won the prestigious World Food Prize for developing a sorghum hybrid that is resistant to both drought and the parasitic weed known as “Striga”, which commonly invades farms in Africa, especially in the arid zone.
Ejeta, who holds American nationality, was one of nine leading US scientists awarded at the White House by President Biden at the event.
“By developing sorghum strains that withstand droughts and parasites, he has improved food security for millions,” President Biden said at the award ceremony.
“His advocacy for science, policy, and institutions as key to economic development has lifted the fortunes of farmers and strengthened the souls of nations,” he added.
The National Medal of Science has been awarded by US Presidents since 1959 to individuals deemed to be deserving of special recognition for their outstanding contributions in various science-related fields.
The African scientist had also received the National Hero Award from the Ethiopian government shortly after he won the World Food Prize in 2009, the highest national honour bestowed on Ethiopian citizens, as well as being appointed to the Board of International Food and Agricultural Development in 2011 by then US President, Barack Obama.
The President of Purdue University in the State of Indiana, Mung Chiang, where Ejeta works as a professor and leads global food security programmes, celebrated the award, hailing him as “a role model of perseverance and one of the most impactful geneticists in the world”.
“Our university celebrates another prestigious and richly deserved honour,” Chiang said.