Mayowa Aderoju, a Ph.D. student in Plant Pathology (Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology (PPEM)) at Iowa State University's Seed Science Center (SSC), has been selected as a fellow in the highly competitive Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Fellows Program, an honor that recognizes emerging leaders poised to shape the future of agriculture.
The FFAR Fellows Program brings together outstanding doctoral students from across the country and provides advanced training in leadership, communications, policy engagement, and professional development. The program is designed to help scientists expand the impact of their research beyond academia and into industry, government, and agricultural communities.
For Aderoju, the fellowship represents the culmination of a journey rooted in personal experience and a passion for solving agricultural challenges.
"The FFAR Fellowship sits at the intersection of the three areas that have shaped my career trajectory: scientific discovery and implementation, agricultural innovation and advocacy, and stakeholder impact and farmer benefit," said Aderoju.
Growing up in Nigeria, Aderoju witnessed firsthand how crop diseases, poor seed quality, and limited access to agricultural innovations could threaten farmer productivity and food security. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his family lost their pig farm to African swine fever, an experience that further fueled his desire to combat agricultural diseases through research and innovation.
Today, his research focuses on seed health, seedborne disease epidemiology, and disease management. Working within the Seed Science Center, Aderoju studies Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (Cff), a re-emerging quarantine pathogen that causes bacterial wilt in dry beans and tan spot in soybeans. The pathogen has recently prompted international phytosanitary restrictions, particularly from the European Union, affecting U.S. seed exports.
His work includes developing reliable detection assays, evaluating varietal resistance, validating national seed-testing protocols, and conducting surveillance studies to better understand the pathogen's prevalence and movement.
"Healthy seed is the foundation of every agricultural production system," Aderoju said. "By improving our understanding of Cff detection, seed transmission, and disease risk, my research contributes to stronger seed health systems, more reliable disease management recommendations, and greater confidence in the quality of seed entering production systems."
Aderoju credits much of his professional development to the opportunities and mentorship he has received through the SSC and PPEM at Iowa State University.
"The Seed Science Center sharpened my ability to think about plant health from a broad, seed-to-field perspective," he said. "I have gained exposure to global seed systems, seed health and seed testing workshops, and the regulatory and commercial factors that influence seed movement and quality assurance."
He also acknowledges the influence of numerous mentors throughout his academic career, including professors and researchers in Nigeria, North Dakota State University, Iowa State University, and the American Phytopathological Society.
Looking ahead, Aderoju hopes the fellowship will strengthen his ability to connect research, industry, extension, and policy to address critical agricultural challenges.
"The FFAR Fellowship will help me develop the leadership, industry perspective, and collaborative network necessary to expand the impact of this work beyond research publications," he said. "My long-term goal is to serve as a scientist and agricultural leader who bridges research, industry, and extension to develop solutions that strengthen food systems and contribute to global food security."
As an FFAR Fellow, Aderoju joins a network of future leaders committed to advancing agricultural innovation, improving food security, and ensuring that scientific discoveries translate into meaningful benefits for farmers and the seed industry worldwide.