CLIFF-GRADS Round 7 announcement
We are excited to announce the Round 7 recipients of Climate, Food and Farming – Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Development Scholarships (CLIFF-GRADS). These PhD candidates from low- and middle-income countries have been selected from a large and highly competitive applicant pool, reflecting their outstanding qualifications and strong potential to advance agricultural climate research.
During 2026 and 2027, these fellows will undertake applied research focused on quantifying and mitigating agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to more sustainable food systems.
The 40 Round 7 CLIFF-GRADS fellows represent 21 countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. They will carry out research placements at 33 host institutions worldwide.
CLIFF-GRADS offers short-term research placements of 4 to 6 months. These placements give early-career scientists access to specialized equipment, software, and international expertise not available at their home institutions. Fellows contribute to cutting-edge research in areas such as enteric methane, rice systems, soil emissions, and blue carbon ecosystems.
About CLIFF-GRADS
CLIFF-GRADS is a joint initiative of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA), the Global Methane Hub (GMH), and the CGIAR Climate Action Science Program. The programme aims to build the capacity of early-career agricultural students in developing countries to conduct applied research on climate change mitigation in agriculture. Funding for Round 7 is provided by the New Zealand Government (through the Ministry for Primary Industries) and the Global Methane Hub. Fellowship contracts are administered by Randstad Ltd, New Zealand.
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Meet the Round 7 awardees
(Listed by Name, Nationality, Host Organisation, Host Country, and Project Topic)
DIANA PAOLA OSORIO RAMIREZ
Nationality: Colombia
Host organisation: INTA Balcarce
Host Country: Argentina
Project name/title: Assessing the Role of Rainfed Pecan Orchards in Mitigating Soil Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) and Methane (CH₄) Emissions (#1)
JOHNNY JEAN
Nationality: Haiti
Host organisation: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)
Host Country: Norway
Project name/title: Biochar-Based Strategies for Carbon Sequestration and AMR Mitigation in Agricultural Systems (#2)
ISABOKE JOB
Nationality: Kenya
Host organisation: Alliance of Bioversity – CIAT
Host Country: Ghana (or Ethiopia)
Project name/title: Spatial Modeling and Targeting of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation through Agronomically Optimal Practices in Mixed Farming Systems (#3)
SMEGNEW MOGES MINTESINOT
Nationality: Ethiopia
Host organisation: Rothamsted Research
Host Country: United Kingdom
Project name/title: The Effect of Green Ammonia on GHG Emissions and Soil Nutrients (#5)
EDGAR ADRIAN OLIVARES ARREOLA
Nationality: Mexico
Host organisation: Instituto de Investigación Animal del Chaco Semiárido (IIACS), Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (CIAP), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA)
Host Country: Argentina
Project name/title: Assessing the role of nitrification in nitrogen dynamics and sustainability of land-use systems in Argentina’s dry Chaco region (#9)
JESUS EDUARDO DE LA CRUZ AZUARA
Nationality: Mexico
Host organisation: The Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)
Host Country: Norway
Project name/title: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from managed peatlands in Norway (#10)
BRIAN JOSAT SAKALA
Nationality: Zambia
Host organisation: Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Host Country: Brazil
Project name/title: Monitoring of Soil Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Grasslands, Pure or Integrated Croplands, and Forests (#12)
HOPE TAKUDZWA MAZUNGUNYE
Nationality: Zimbabwe
Host organisation: Aula Dei Experimental Station (EEAD)
Host Country: Spain
Project name/title: Impact of Crop Diversification on GHG Emissions Mitigation Through Changes in Soil Biological and Physicochemical Properties (#13)
JORGE CÁ
Nationality: Guinea-Bissau
Host organisation: Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Fishing, Food and Organic Farming of Andalusia (IFAPA)
Host Country: Spain
Project name/title: Testing different cost-effective mitigation strategies to increase soil carbon storage in organic rainfed almond orchards under semiarid conditions (#14)
MEAZA ZENEBE GEBREHANS
Nationality: Ethiopia
Host organisation: The National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA-CSIC)
Host Country: Spain
Project name/title: Trends in soil organic carbon stock associated with time, land use and agricultural management techniques (#16)
ARSHDEEP SINGH
Nationality: India
Host organisation: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Host Country: India
Project name/title: Farm-level measurement and modelling of GHG emissions from rice cultivation in India: Evaluate mitigation strategies and their effects on profitability (#17)
MIRIAM CARRILLO DÍAZ DE LEÓN
Nationality: Mexico
Host organisation: International Rice Research Institute
Host Country: Philippines
Project name/title: Sequencing-Guided Identification and Characterization of Methane-Reducing Microbes from Rice Paddy Field (#18)
SAUMYA YADAV
Nationality: India
Host organisation: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
Host Country: Vietnam
Project name/title: Mitigation Actions to meet Methane Reduction Pledge Targets in Asian NDCs and GHG Inventories (#22)
BIENVENU D’ELA SOMDA
Nationality: Burkina Faso
Host organisation: INRAE
Host Country: Guadeloupe (France)
Project name/title: How does diet affect GHG emissions of livestock systems in tropical areas? (#23)
FADILA NUHU SHEHU
Nationality: Nigeria
Host organisation: INTA EEA RAFAELA
Host Country: Argentina
Project name/title: Improvement of the measurement of manure methane potential (#25)
EGAS JOSE ARMANDO
Nationality: Mozambique
Host organisation: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Host Country: Kenya
Project name/title: Digital MRV for high-integrity GHG emission reduction estimation from manure biodigesters (#26)
SISAY BELETE ASEFA
Nationality: Ethiopia
Host organisation: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Host Country: Kenya
Project name/title: Robust dry matter intake estimation from feed & animal data (#29)
ABIGAIL ADAMMA ERE-RICHARD
Nationality: Nigeria
Host organisation: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)
Host Country: United Kingdom
Project name/title: Mitigation of enteric methane emissions using methane suppressing feed additives in grazing cattle (#30)
JOACHINE IDIBU
Nationality: Uganda
Host organisation: International Joint Research Center for Animal Gastrointestinal Nutrition, Nanjing Agricultural University
Host Country: China
Project name/title: Exploring the Potential of Plant-Derived Bioactive Compounds in Reducing Methane Emissions from the Rumen of Dairy Cattle (#37)
ROLANDO PASQUINI NETO
Nationality: Brazil
Host organisation: ZELP
Host Country: United Kingdom
Project name/title: Optimization of mitigation and measurement technologies for livestock methane emissions (#38)
MARÍA ABUD CLARIGET
Nationality: Uruguay
Host organisation: INRAE, French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment
Host Country: France
Project name/title: Microbial Signatures of Feed Efficiency and Methane Mitigation in Beef Cattle: Insights from 16S rRNA Meta-analysis (#42)
AGUSTINA RIVOIR CAAMAÑO
Nationality: Uruguay
Host organisation: Massey University
Host Country: New Zealand
Project name/title: Developing standard operating procedures for GreenFeed methane measurement in pasture-based systems (#43)
SLAMET WIDODO
Nationality: Indonesia
Host organisation: Bioeconomy Science Institute
Host Country: New Zealand
Project name/title: Determining the long-term efficacy of methanogen-inhibiting additives to reduce enteric methane emissions in non-lactating cows fed a constant diet (#44)
GENET ZEWDIE ADDSIU
Nationality: Ethiopia
Host organisation: UNALM
Host Country: Peru
Project name/title: In vitro evaluation of tropical forages for methane mitigation in ruminant systems (#46)
ERIKA VARGAS GÓMEZ
Nationality: Mexico
Host organisation: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA)
Host Country: Argentina
Project name/title: Targeting the Rumen Microbiome: Cultivation and Characterization of Key Rumen Microbes for Improved Fermentation and Methane Mitigation (#47)
CATALINA RIVOIR
Nationality: Uruguay
Host organisation: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Host Country: Kenya
Project name/title: In Vitro Screening of Antimethanogenic and Digestibility Effects of Kenyan Dairy Cattle Feedstuffs (#48)
TAMIRAT TEKILEGIORGIS BALCHA
Nationality: Ethiopia
Host organisation: Spanish National Research Council
Host Country: Spain
Project name/title: Early development of the immune response to methanogens in ruminants (#49)
ARCHIT MOHAPATRA
Nationality: India
Host organisation: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
Host Country: Kenya
Project name/title: In Vivo Evaluation of LowMethane Forages in Sheep within the Low Methane Forage Project (#51)
SELINA ACHEAMPONG
Nationality: Ghana
Host organisation: Wageningen University & Research
Host Country: Netherlands
Project name/title: Integrative Study of the Rumen Microbiome: Anaerobic Fungi, Bacteria and Bioinformatics Approaches (#54)
GAIUS VIHOWANOU
Nationality: Benin
Host organisation: Aarhus University
Host Country: Denmark
Project name/title: Methane emission from grazing dairy cows during day or night (#59)
JÉSUGNON MIRABELLE HOUNGBEDJI
Nationality: Benin
Host organisation: Cornell University
Host Country: USA
Project name/title: Training in GreenFeed Data Integration, Predictive Modelling, and On-Farm Measurement Tools in Dairy Systems (#61)
YIZE LIU
Nationality: China
Host organisation: Ag Emissions Centre
Host Country: New Zealand
Project name/title: Assessing global agricultural emissions, historical trends, regional insights, key drivers, and emerging mitigation technologies (#62)
AKLILU BEKELE CHORITO
Nationality: Ethiopia
Host organisation: Thuenen Institute of Farm Economics
Host Country: Germany
Project name/title: Analysing the Key Barriers to the Adoption of Climate Change Mitigation Strategies in Southern Africa (#63)
BINYAM KASSA ENGIDASEW
Nationality: Ethiopia
Host organisation: International Livestock Institutions (ILRI)
Host Country: Kenya
Project name/title: Modelling Low Emissions Dairy Pathways in Ethiopia Using IPCC Tier 2 GHG Accounting and GACMO Tools (#64)
KIROS WELAY GEBREYOHANS
Nationality: Ethiopia
Host organisation: International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas
Host Country: Morocco
Project name/title: Documentation of low methane innovation for dryland Agro-pastoral systems (#67)
GETINET SEID YIMER
Nationality: Ethiopia
Host organisation: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Host Country: Kenya
Project name/title: Carbon Neutrality Pathways in Coffee Agroforestry Systems of Central Kenya (#70)
BIRHANU BABIYE DAMTIWE
Nationality: Ethiopia
Host organisation: The Institute for Innovation in Agricultural Production and Sustainable Development
Host Country: Argentina
Project name/title: Adaptation of maize crop to soil water deficiencies and reduction of N2O emissions through the application of Glomalina (#71)
NABIL EL KHATRI
Nationality: Morocco
Host organisation: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Host Country: United Kingdom
Project name/title: UAV-based biomass and carbon assessment of shrub systems for sustainable agricultural landscapes (#73)
SHEIZAL MINHAS
Nationality: India
Host organisation: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), University of Tuscia
Host Country: Italy
Project name/title: Integrating Animal Health into Livestock Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Mitigation through Strengthened MRV Systems – University of Tuscia (#74)
MBOLATIANA FIONONANTSOA RANAIVOHARIVELO
Nationality: Madagascar
Host organisation: Edinburgh Napier University
Host Country: United Kingdom
Project name/title: Integrating Animal Health into Livestock Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Mitigation through Strengthened MRV Systems – Edinburgh Napier University (#77)