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Samy Gaiji is a French and Tunisian national who, from 1998 until his move to GBIF, was Senior Scientist and Project Coordinator of the Biodiversity Informatics Project as well as Project Leader of the CGIAR System-wide Information Network on Genetic Resources (SINGER) at Bioversity International (formerly IPGRI).
Gaiji comes to GBIF with experience working in information management for several international organizations, including the Clearinghouse Mechanism for the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and Bioversity International. He brings to GBIF expertise in project planning and management with a particular focus on the use of biodiversity informatics tools aimed for scientists and decision makers.
Nicholas King, Executive Secretary of GBIF, said "This is a mission critical post for an IT initiative such as GBIF, and we believe that Samy has the right mix of IT technical and biological backgrounds to significantly assist GBIF in serving our stakeholders and achieving our goals".
Gaiji will lead the six-person Informatics team of the Secretariat, plus external contractors, and hold overall responsibility for developing and supporting multiple IT tools and standards that allow data providers and users to connect their data to the network, or access and analyse these data and maintaining and continuing the innovative improvement of GBIF's web portal functionality in response to multi-stakeholder needs.
The new HoI will play a key integrating role in liaising continuously with each of the GBIF Programme Officers to identify and ensure delivery of appropriate cross-cutting products and services as well as serve as the main liaison between the Secretariat Informatics team and the rest of the Secretariat and GBIF Participants and network.
Of his new appointment, Gaiji said "This post is an exciting opportunity to work in furthering the application of biodiversity informatics on a major international project. GBIF is set to play a leading role in increasing our understanding and sustainable management of the biodiversity resources globally, and I am pleased to be a part of it."
Gaiji holds a Master's degree in Agronomy, with a specialisation in Genetic Resources and Breeding, from the 'Institut National Agronomique de Paris Grignon' (INAPG). In 1991, he undertook his Diploma d'Etudes Approfondies (DEA) on 'Improving the management of genetic resources for breeders in the private sector' at INAPG. He then began his career as a Plant Breeder, worked for CIRAD (1992-1994) in France and the Congo in the management of an interspecific Eucalyptus breeding programme.
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