Indian-American to head Obama's agro-research

Rajiv J Shah will be under secretary for research, education and economics in the Department of Agriculture.

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Rajiv J Shah is currently the director of agricultural development in the global development programme for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

US President Barack Obama has named Rajiv J Shah, an Indian American scientist managing a programme at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help the world's poor lead healthy and productive lives, to a key post.

Obama intends to nominate Shah as under secretary for research, education and economics in the Department of Agriculture, the White House announced yesterday.

Shah is currently the director of agricultural development in the global development programme for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he manages the foundation's agricultural development programme with the goal of helping the world's poor lead healthy and productive lives.

His work includes grant-making portfolios in science and technology, farmer productivity, market access, and policy and statistics.

Shah joined the foundation in 2001 and previously served as its sirector of strategic opportunities and deputy director of policy and finance for global health.

In these roles, he helped develop and launch the foundation's global development programme and the international finance facility for immunisation - an effort that raised more than $5 billion for child immunisation and hopes to save more than 50 lakh lives around the world.