Donald MacKenzie, PhD

With a natural inclination toward math and science in school, Don studied biochemistry at the University of British Columbia, eventually completing a PhD. Since 2018, Don has been the executive director of the Institute for International Crop Improvement (IICI) at the Danforth Center. He manages the IICI’s programs and partnerships dedicated to translating key discoveries in plant health, disease and pest management, genomics, advanced breeding and nutrition to new solutions for food quality and availability around the globe.

Don’s team also provides guidance on navigating through the practical, safety, and regulatory processes necessary to demonstrate that new crop varieties are proven safe and effective for the farmers who will benefit from them.

Don is an international expert in regulatory systems for agriculture, including environmental risk assessment, biosafety, and food safety assessments. His extensive experience in plant product development and global regulatory processes aligns with the Institute’s commitment to collaborate with international and local partner organizations to deliver crops with improved nutritional content and disease resistance to places where people are in most need. In addition to feeding the hungry, these efforts have the potential to contribute to environmental health and empower farmers to become more self-sufficient.

Under Don’s leadership, the IICI is establishing public-private partnerships to address cross-cutting issues related to environmental and food safety assessment, quality standards, consensus-building, regulatory policy advocacy, and the practical implementation of stewardship best practices for new technologies.