Bram Govaerts

Bram Govaerts is a Belgian soil scientist who became Director General of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, CIMMYT, on a permanent basis in July 2023 after two years leading the institute in an interim capacity. Trained in bioscience engineering and soil science at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, he built his research career around sustainable and conservation agriculture practices intended to reimagine farming systems while protecting natural ecosystems and strengthening food security, work recognized with Belgium's Development Cooperation Prize in 2003 and the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application in 2014. He also holds an appointment as an Andrew D. White Professor at Large at Cornell University and was named a Commander of the Order of the Crown by Belgium's king in November 2025.