Session chairs for the 10th ISBGMO (in alphabetical order)

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Workshop Chairs

Ervin Balázs Session 3 Chair: Biotic and abiotic stress resistance	Rosie Hails Session 2 Co-Chair: Introgression, Naturalisation and Invasion
Ervin Balázs has provided invaluable contributions to plant virology and virus-resistant transgenic plant technology. He is an advocate for the application of GM technology to current agriculture and promotes harmonized regulation for biotechnology. Ervin is head of the Applied Genomic Department of the Agricultural Research Institute at Martonvásár Hungary and a former founding general director of the Agricultural Biotechnology Center Gödöll . He is also a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and recipient of several prestigious awards.	Rosie Hails is a world renowned researcher in population ecology. Her specialties include the persistence and transmission of insect pathogens, and the risk assessment of genetically modifi ed plants and viruses. Rosie is also active at the interface of science and policy, serving on several prominent UK and EU panels that advise on GMOs. Rosie is a professor at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Oxford and was awarded an MBE for services to environmental research in 2000.
Götz Laible Session 4 Chair: Genetically Modified Animals	Bao-Rong Lu Session 2 Co-Chair: Introgression, Naturalisation and Invasion
Götz Laible is at the forefront of transgenic animal research, in particular cattle engineered for the production of valuable recombinant proteins in milk. His work is closely coupled to biosafety issues surrounding integration of the technology into practical farming systems. After extensive research achievements in Europe and the USA, Götz now heads a research programme at AgResearch, New Zealand, to evaluate transgenic technology for livestock applications.	Bao-Rong Lu has gained international renown for his research into wild relatives of major grain crops. A professor in botany and genetic resources at Fudan University, he has provided critical guidance on the biosafety of GM crops, in particular, the ecological consequences of transgene spread to sexually compatible relatives. In addition to his numerous international awards and editorial contributions, Professor Lu serves on many infl uential committees, including the Chinese National Biosafety Committee.
Sally McCammon Session 1 Chair: Biosafety: Experience and results	Leda Mendonça-Hagler Session 5 Co-Chair: Soil Ecosystems
With a PhD on plant pathology and more than 17 years of regulatory experience in biotechnology, Sally McCammon brings a wealth of internationally respected knowledge and insight to GMO biosafety assessments, regulatory reviews and policy issues. Sally, a Science Advisor in the United States Department of Agriculture, serves as chair and member of many prominent international initiatives in the regulatory oversight and harmonization of biotechnology. Sally is the symposium chair for the 10th ISBGMO.	Leda Mendonça-Hagler came to international prominence with her research on the biodiversity and ecology of yeasts in Brazil. Subsequently, she has coordinated several international projects on microbial ecology, biotechnology and biosafety. Leda, a professor of microbiology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is widely sought as a consultant and has been an advisor to the Brazilian government, with important contributions to the Brazilian Technical Biosafety Commission and Biosafety Protocol negotiations.
Joachim Schiemann Session 8 Chair: Biocontainment Methods	Kornelia Smalla Session 5 Co-Chair: Soil Ecosystems
In addition to Joachim Schiemann’s important research contributions to plant virology and developing novel tools for the genetic modifi cation of plants, he is a leading proponent for addressing biosafety issues from this emerging technology. He co-ordinates several national and EU-funded cluster projects on biosafety research to ensure the responsible and sustainable application of GMOs to European agriculture. Joachim is professor and head of the Genetechnology and Biosafety Division of the Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (BBA). Since September 2004, he has been President of the International Society for Biosafety Research.	Kornelia Smalla is a highly respected and prolifi c researcher in microbial ecology, with major contributions on antibiotic resistance genes, horizontal gene transfer, microbial diversity of soil and plants, and the evaluation of impacts of GM plants on microbial communities. Professor Smalla is head of the ecology group at the BBA Institute for Plant Virology, Microbiology and Biosafety, Brunswick, Germany. Besides her extensive involvement in teaching and editorial work, Kornelia has received funding for more than fi fteen national and international research projects since the late 1990s.