Eric Von Wettberg is an accomplished biologist with expertise in genomics, plant ecophysiology, conservation genetics, and abiotic stress tolerance. He studied Biology at Swarthmore College and pursued his Ph.D. in Biology from Brown University. He also studied Agricultural ecology at Den Kgl. Veterinær- og Landbohøjskole. Von Wettberg has worked as a Conservation Geneticist at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis. He has been a faculty member at both the University of Vermont and Florida International University, holding positions as an Assistant and Associate Professor. Von Wettberg is currently a member of the USAID Feed the Future Chickpea Innovation Lab, working to breed climate-resilient chickpeas using genetic diversity from wild relatives. His work involves expanding chickpea germplasm collections, improving genetic tolerance to climatic extremes, and developing a framework for utilizing plant genetic resources to improve chickpea crops in South Asia and East Africa.