I am currently working as a biology and maths teacher at the Atheneum Arthur Van der Poorten in Lier, Belgium.I graduated as a Bio-engineer, Doctor in Applied Biological Sciences, from the Catholic University of Leuven and have over 20 years of experience in the planning, implementation and coordination of international research projects. My research focused on the evaluation of innovative technologies and the integration of agrobiodiversity in crop production, in particular for banana, to achieve more sustainable production and food systems.I also have a Diploma in Education, and have been a guest professor at the Catholic University of Leuven. For over 10 years, I have coordinated the global banana knowledge-sharing network ProMusa (www.promusa.org). In this role, I was responsible for the coordination of a network of around 1000 scientists, the set-up of an interactive knowledge resource center on banana and its accompanying databases, and the organization of international scientific conferences.