Dr. Robert S. Zeigler
Director General and Chief Executive Officer
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
Robert “Bob” Zeigler is an internationally respected plant pathologist with over 30 years of experience in agricultural research in the developing world. Zeigler became director general and chief executive officer of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in 2005.
After completing undergraduate work in 1972, Zeigler joined the Peace Corps and spent 2 years as a science teacher in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa.
Zeigler earned degrees at Cornell University (PhD), Oregon State University (MSc), and the University of Illinois (BSc). Zeigler has completed corporate management and governance programs from Harvard Business School and Kellogg School of Management. Dr. Zeigler is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Phytopathological Society, the Indian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and is a member of the honor societies: Sigma Xi (The Scientific Research Society), and Gamma Sigma Delta (agriculture).
Zeigler has authored and co-authored over 100 refereed international journal articles, reports, and scientific papers and has delivered numerous invited lectures worldwide.
