Víctor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula is an

agricultural engineer Agricultural engineering, also known as agricultural and biosystems engineering, is the field of study and application of engineering science and designs principles for agriculture purposes, combining the various disciplines of mechanical enginee ...

with a specialty in

agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...

who serves as the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) in the administration of Mexican President

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican politician who has been serving as the 65th president of Mexico since 1 December 2018. He previously served as Head of Government of Mexico ...

(AMLO). Dr. Villalobos is an expert in agriculture and natural and genetic resources. He has been a professor, researcher, research director, international official, government official, administrator, and leader of multidisciplinary analysis and decision groups.

Education

Víctor Villalobos earned his bachelor's degree in

agricultural engineering Agricultural engineering, also known as agricultural and biosystems engineering, is the field of study and application of engineering science and designs principles for agriculture purposes, combining the various disciplines of mechanical, civil, ...

and his master's degree in

plant genetics Plant genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity specifically in plants.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is generally considered a field of biology and botany, but intersects frequently with many other life sciences and is strongly ...

from the Chapingo Autonomous University (UACH) in Texcoco, State of Mexico. His doctorate from the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

, Canada, is in

plant morphology Phytomorphology is the study of the morphology (biology), physical form and external structure of plants.Raven, P. H., R. F. Evert, & S. E. Eichhorn. ''Biology of Plants'', 7th ed., page 9. (New York: W. H. Freeman, 2005). . This is usually cons ...

. He has worked as a professor at the Chapingo Autonomous University, the College of Postgraduates (COLPOS), and the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico (

CINVESTAV The Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (in Spanish: ''Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional'' or simply as ''CINVESTAV-IPN'') is a Mexican non-governmental ...

), where he served as director of the Irapuato Unit. He has taught specialized courses in Argentina, Austria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Jordan, Iran, Venezuela, and other countries. Villalobos has been a consultant for the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a member of the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) of Mexico, and a member of the Institute of the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

for Mexico and the United States (UCMexus). Villalobos worked for the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica from as director of the agriculture division (1986–1990), director (1990–1995), and CEO (1999–2003).

Career

Prior to his appointment as Agricultural Secretary by AMLO, Villalobos Arámbula served as Undersecretary of Natural Resources of the Secretariat of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries (SEMARNAP) and as Undersecretary of Agriculture of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA). In 1998, he was appointed the first Executive Secretary of th
Intersecretarial Commission on Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms
(CIBIOGEM). From 2010 to 2018, Villalobos was Director General of th
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
in Costa Rica.

Personal life

Víctor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula was born in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, Mexico, in 1950.

Honors

*Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry The Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry ( sv, Kungliga Skogs- och Lantbruksakademien), formerly the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture (''Kungl. Lantbruksakademien''), founded in 1813 at the initiative of Crown Prince Charles XIV of ...

since 2004. *''Ad Honorem'' Professor at the College of Postgraduates and a distinguished student at the Autonomous University of Chapingo. *Honorary Doctorate from CATIE. *Honorary Doctorate from the

National University of Asunción National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

, Paraguay (2013). *Honorary Collegiate Member and Honor of Merit "Golden Spike" for his distinguished services to the national agricultural company of the College of Agricultural engineers and Professionals in Agricultural Sciences of Bolivia – CIAB (2015) *Diploma of agronomic merit for his work in biotechnology applied to agriculture in international organizations (SAGARAPA, 1995).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villalobos, Victor Manuel Mexican engineers Chapingo Autonomous University alumni University of Calgary alumni Living people 21st-century Mexican politicians Cabinet of Andrés Manuel López Obrador Mexican Secretaries of Agriculture 1950 births