Firew Mekbib is an Associate Professor of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology at Haramaya University (HU). He obtained his PhD in Plant Biotechnology and Breeding from Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Apart from teaching, he was involved in various crop sciences research at regional, national and international levels and has released crop varieties. He is currently editorial board member of East African Journal of Sciences and has been reviewing manuscripts for various regional and international peer-reviewed journals. He is a member of various professional societies and has received twice outstanding research award from Crop Science Society of Ethiopia and initiated the establishment of Ethiopian Center for Orphan Crops at Haramaya University. He is currently chairman of the National Variety Release Committee of Ethiopia. He has authored over 70 articles published in peer-reviewed journals.