Born May 27, 1925 in Rome, prof. em. in Plant genetics (2001, Tuscia, Italy) and doctor h.c. on Biodiversity and Biotechnologies (2004, Naples, Italy), G.T. Scarascia Mugnozza is at present. President of the Italian National Academy of Sciences (Rome, 1989-present), vice chairman of the National Committee for Biotechnology and Biosafety of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, member of the Advisory Council for the FAO-Special Program for Food Security.

Dr. Agricultural Science, 1947, University of Bari, Italy. Director, Laboratory for applications of nuclear energy in agriculture, ENEA 1958-69; Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Univ. of Bari 1968-71; Chairman, Agriculture & Forestry Scientific Committee, National Research Council, 1978-89; Chairman, Italian Mozambique Committee, Univ. of Maputo, 1981-91; Member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, 1988-93; President, Conference Italian University Rectors, 1987-1994; President, European Ass. for Research on Plant Breeding, 1995-98; Rector of the Univ. of Tuscia, Viterbo 1981-1999, Chairman of the EuroMAB 2002-2005.

Memberships: National Academy of Lincei; Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics; Italian Society of Agronomy; Italian Academy of Agriculture; National Academy of Georgofili, American Society of Agronomy, European Society of Plant Improvement; New York Academy of Sciences.

Awards: Santoro Prize, 1966 (Academy of Lincei); Villa S. Giovanni Prize, 1976 (Villa S. Giovanni); De Marchi Prize 1981 (Florence), Cerere Prize, 1981 (Rome); Agricoltura 2000 Prize, 1986 (Parma); Barilla Alimentazione Prize, 1987 (Rome); Grand Cross, 1988 (Order of Merit of the Italian Republic); Gold Medal Sciences & Culture, 1989 (Italian Republic); Invernizzi Prize, 1995 (Milan).

Scarascia Mugnozza is a distinguished Italian plant geneticist and world leader in international cooperation aimed at arresting gene erosion and in harnessing plant genetic resources for sustainable food security and environmental sustainability. He has spent his career making significant contributions in the field of agrobiodiversity, plant breeding and genetic engineering, applied mutagenesis. Much of his time has been dedicated to agricultural research in developing countries. With his research group he has released new durum wheat and sunflower cultivars.
In conclusion, his main interest, during all his research career is: biodiversity, genetic variability, genetic resources (their research, evaluation and utilisation), the improvement of food crops.