Professor Elhadi M. Yahia is Emeritus Professor (Investigador Nacional Emerito) at the Autonomous University of Querétaro, Mexico. He is also a Courtesy Professor at the University of Florida, USA. Professor Yahia has published 20 books in 3 languages and more than 400 book chapters and articles on post-harvest handling of fresh produce. He has worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) where he helped launch the Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction. He has served as a consultant to many organizations such as the FAO, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO), USAID, USDA and ICARDA. He is member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the New York Academy of Sciences, The Scientific Research Society (Sigma Xi) and The Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) of the World Food Logistics Organization.
Professor Chris Watkins is Herman H. Cohn Professor of Horticulture and Associate Dean at Cornell University and Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension. An internationally-renowned expert on postharvest physiology, and a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science. He is the current Chair of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) Division for Postharvest and Quality Assurance, and a member of the editorial board of the journal Postharvest Biology and Technology.
Dr Avtar Handa as Professor of Horticulture at Purdue University, USA and is internationally-renowned for his research on tomato physiology.