Vivek currently works as the Regional Maize Breeding Coordinator (Asia) and Principal Scientist, Global Maize Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Hyderabad, India. He obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Since the time he joined CIMMYT in 1997 he has worked in Mexico, Zimbabwe and India.
Contributions to maize germplasm improvement figure in the commercialization of numerous climate resilient maize open-pollinated varieties and hybrids in sub-Saharan Africa and hybrids in South Asia. He has trained several M.S. / Ph.D. students. A passion for maize research information management has led to the development of software used by many maize breeders. Currently, he is leading the International Maize Improvement Consortium for Asia – a consortium of partners (over 50 public and private) engaged in targeted maize research for development and in the deployment of maize hybrids for stress prone ecologies of tropical Asia.
