Dr. Low is the Regional Leader for Africa of the International Potato Center in Nairobi, Kenya. Low attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, afterwards joining the Peace Corps and working for four years in Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) in fisheries and aquaculture. She then entered Cornell University and was inspired by the chairperson of her doctoral committee to “undertake research that will make a difference in the world.” She certainly has done so: after receiving her Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at Cornell in 1994, she joined the International Potato Center and was assigned to study the sustainability of potato and sweet potato production systems in a major growing area in Southwest Uganda. She has led several research studies into the effectiveness and implementation of the biofortified orange-fleshed sweet potato in combating Vitamin A deficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa. In recognition of her dedication and work, she is one of four winners of the 2016 World Food Prize.
