Dr. Aster Gebrekirstos is a Global Senior Scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF). She serves as the principal investigator of the GCBC-funded project on “Multifunctional Agroforestry for Ethiopia” and is involved in several other projects across Africa and Asia. With over 20 years of experience in research, tertiary-level teaching, and consulting, Dr. Gebrekirstos is the head and founder of the Dendroecology Laboratory in Nairobi. She has published more than 100 papers and supervised over 20 PhD students.Dr. Gebrekirstos is the Founding Board Member and Vice President of the International Union for Agroforestry (IUAF), the founding coordinator of the African Tree Ring Network (ATRN), and serves as a science advisor to numerous other societies.Her numerous distinctions include the prestigious AfriCAN Climate Award for excellence in research on climate change adaptation and mitigation. She was elected as a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in 2021, a Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS) in 2021, and a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS). Dr. Gebrekirstos was also featured by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in the book Earth, Oceans, and Sky, highlighting six African female scientists addressing critical challenges in agriculture, food security, and climate change. Additionally, she was recognized as one of the GLF 2024 Women with a New Vision for Earth.