Dr. Madonna C. Casimero (Donna) is a senior scientist (Agronomist) and leads the Climate Adapted Agronomy sub-unit at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). She is also leading the ORGANIZE Work Package of Excellence in Agronomy for Sustainable Intensification and Climate Change Adaptation Initiative of the OneCGIAR. Donna has been with IRRI for 16 years, leading projects on capacity development and serves as agronomist/seed systems specialist in R&D projects in the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Myanmar. She was assigned as Representative of IRRI to Myanmar in 2012- 2015 and the lead senior scientist-agronomist in implementing the projects of IRRI in the country. Prior to her assignment in Myanmar, she led an Australian Center International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) funded project to improve productivity and profitability of smallholder rice-based households in eastern Indonesia in 2008-2011. Earlier in her career she worked with the Philippine government in various capacities. Her research experience on farming systems, weed science, and agronomy spans almost 40 years. She was involved in high impact-dashboard research and community development projects which used participatory approaches to adaptive research in working with farmers. Donna was the Deputy Director for Research and Development in 2006-2008 at the Philippine Rice Research Institute, Munoz, Philippines. Prior to her designation as Deputy Director for R&D, she was the leader of the Rice-based Farming Systems Program for 5 years. Her 15 years of experience at PhilRice (1993-2008) is capped by her work on diversified rice-based farming systems or Palayamanan which became the platform of the institute in working with rice-based farming communities, then later adopted by the Philippines Department of Agriculture’s as national program to improve productivity, food security and climate resilience of smallholder farmers in rice-based systems. Donna obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (2000) in Agronomy (through a sandwich program with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPISU, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA supported by USAID) and the University of the Philippines Los Banos, Master of Science (1989) in Agronomy and BS Agriculture (major in Agronomy, 1983) from the University of Philippines at Los Banos.