CURRICULUM VITAE
Luiz Antonio Barreto de Castro
July 2014
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Memorial Summary
Luiz Antonio Barreto de Castro , is a an Agronomist with a hybrid background .He
worked many years in plant breeding before moving to plant physiology and plant
molecular biology . He is PhD from UCDavis in Plant Physiology and has a Pos Doc
in Plant Molecular Biology from Goldberg`s lab in UCLA. For sixteen years he worked
as a professor in Agronomy at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro. He
established Plant Biotechnology in Brazil at CENARGEN in EMBRAPA early in the
eighties where he worked for twenty five years as a scientist. His laboratory cloned
and expressed the first plant gene in Brazil in 1991. He was the president of the
Biosafety Commission in Brazil for three years from 1996 to 1998 and came back to
be the Chief General of CENARGEN/EMBRAPA during the years of 2000 to 2003 to
establish the Genomic/Proteomic Program of EMBRAPA now in operation. He
became a member of the Brazilian Academy of Science in 2003. He published
extensively in the areas of Plant Breeding, Seed and Plant Physiology and Plant
Molecular Biology and was responsible for the first brazilian patents in plant genetic
engineering . In addition to his academic back ground he is an expert in the areas
plant patents, plant breeding rights , biodiversity and biosafety having contributed
directly for the design and approval of all related laws in Brazil in these subjects He
has served the best institutions nationally and internationally as a consultant in these
areas. For eight years he served the Ministry of Science and Technology as Science
National Secretary. During this period representing the Brazilian Government he
successfully negotiated with the World Bank important Multidisciplinary Programs
such as The Pilot Program for the Conservation of the Amazonian Rain Forest and
The Brazilian Science & Technology Reform Program known in Brazil as PADCT Science and Technology Development Support Program the largest Science and
Technology Multidisciplinary Funding Program ever executed by the Brazilian
Federal Government. He was from 1991 to 1999 the Executive Secretary for this
Program, worked for the Getulio Vargas Foundation and for the Universitary Center
of Brasilia as a full professor in Biology during the years of 2004 and 2005. He is
presently the President of the Brazilian Biotechnology Society, coordinates in Brazil
the Northeastern Biotechnology Network – RENORBIO , Bioamazonia and Centro
Oeste graduate and R&D networks established since 2006 when he became a
National Secretary for the Ministry of Science and Technology in August of 2005 in
the area of Policies in Scientific Research and Development position he occupies till
January of 2011. He moved then to the Private Sector after serving public institutions
for near fifty years . He first served as the Technical Director of the IBA –Brazilian
Cotton Institute from January until June of 2011. He left to work independently as a
consultant for several companies abroad : Kalgene , AquaBounty and in Brazil
Monsanto S.A. CIB- Conselho de Informação em Biotecnologia, and as a PVNS (
Visiting Professor National Senior ) Fellow funded by CAPES ( Coordenação de
Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior ) . He served from 2006 untill 2011 in
the Technical Committee of the World Bank for the Uganda Scientific Millenium
Program and complete this task in September of 2012. He was honoured during the
4th National Biotechnology Congress in Guaruja in December for the three dcades of
contribution to Biotechnology and became the new President of the Brazilila
Biotechnology Society
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ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
EDUCATION
B.S. (Agronomy)
Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro
Period: March 1959 – December 1962
M.Sc. (Agronomy)
Mississippi State University
Period: January 1968 – January 1970
Ph.D (Plant Physiology)
University of California Davis
Period: September 1973 – December 1977
Pos.Doctor. (Molecular Biology)*
University of California Los Angeles
Period: September/December 1986-1988
Visiting Schollar.(Molecular Biology)*
University of California-Los Angeles
January/March1989-1992
*Reference: Robert B. Goldberg
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Eighteen years of experience as university teacher in areas such Biology Agronomy,
Seed Technology ,Plant Breeding ,Plant Physiology and Plant Biochemistry at the
Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro and at the University Center of BrasiliaUNICEUB
Thirty four years of experience in Scientific Resarch in areas such as Plant Breeding ,
Seed Technology ,Plant Physiology , Plant Molecular Biology and Plant Genetic
Engineering at the Federal Rural Rural University of Rio de Janeiro and
EMBRAPA/National Center of Genetic Resources and Biotechnology
Sixteen years of experience in the area of Science and Technology Management at the
Ministry of Science and Technology
Consultant for IICA, World Bank, UNCED , Member of the BAC of the Stockholm
Environment Institute, Coordinator of the National Research Program of
Biotechnology for Agriculture at EMBRAPA/CENARGEN (Brasília). Executive
Secretary of the Federal Program for the Financing of Science and Technology
(Brasil) – PADCT/Ministry of Science and Technology, President of the Biosafety
National Technical Commission in Brazil from 1996 to 1998.
Chief of the Intelectual Property Secretariat of EMBRAPA from June 1999 to December
of 1999
Chief General of the Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology from January
2000 to January of 2004
Project Coordinator at the Getulio Vargas Foundation during the years of 2004 and
2005
National Secretary for The Ministry of Science and Technology from August of 2005
till January of 2011
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WARDS , FELLOWSHIPS PUBLICATIONS AND
PATENTS
Order of Judiciary Merit by the Supreme Labour Court, National Order of the Scientific
Merit – By The Presidence of the Republic of Brazil , President of the Brazilian
Society of Biotechnology , President of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of
Agriculture,Gra Cruz National Order of the Scientififc Merit,by The President of the
Republic,2002. Member of the Brazilian Academy of Science since February of 2003
Scolarships and Fellowships granted by USAID , Rockfeller Foundation ,National
Research Council and Ministry of Education of Brazil
More than fourty scientific papers published in Journals with referees and three
patents granted in foreign countries in the area plant genetic engineering
Luiz Antonio Barreto de Castro
CEO of ABCP – Agriculture Biotechnology Consultant and Projects