Attendees included local authorities, Deputy of Jihad-e-Keshavarzi of Gilan Province, Representative of the supreme leader, Director general of Gilan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Deputy of Research and Technology of Guilan University, Director general of the Tea Research Center, director general of the International Sturgeon Research Institute, and other scientific members of Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran.

     Dr. Nayer Azam Khoshkholgh Sima, Director General of Agriculture Biotechnology Institute of Iran (ABRII), showed appreciation for Dr. Afraz’s three years of endeavor of founding and facilitating the new building of North Region Branch, developing its research infrastructures and human resources and also directing the research projects to Animal Biotechnology along with focusing on district’s needs and strategic crops.

     Dr. Khoshkholgh sima said that Dr Mo’meni is a determined, enthusiastic and passionate researcher who has worked on many strategic and applicable rice projects; therefore, he is able to develop North Region Branch and its human resources as well as conducting applicable projects which hopefully will lead to successful commercialization.

      Dr. Fazlollah Afraz was born on 2^nd October 1953 in Amol. He was graduated from Urmia University with bachelor degree of Animal Science. Afterwards, he gained his master of science and Ph.D. in Animal Breeding and Genetics in Immungenetics. He conducted his post doctorate entitled “Phylogenetic” at Hiroshima University.  

     Dr. Ali Mo’meni attained his Bachelor and Master of Science in Plant and Molecular Breeding from University of Tehran. He did his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering at International Rice Research Institute and University of Tehran. Later, he carried on with post doctorate in Molecular Genetics at the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS) of Japan. He has been the Deputy of Rice Research Institute of Iran for several years.

Photographed by: Sina Motamed