Belainesh Hailu Ararsa holds an MSc in Plant Biotechnology, specializing in Functional Plant Genomics from Wageningen University, The Netherlands, and a BSc in Horticulture from Jimma University in Ethiopia. A 2019 Research Scholar from UC Davis, California, she is a principal investigator for Tef (Eragrostis tef), and is working on a project which aims to carry out the TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes) strategy for tef screening – lodging, salinity, drought, acidity, fungal diseases and insects. Tef  is an indigenous and important food and feed crop in Ethiopia. It accounts for about two-thirds of the daily protein intake in the country’s diet.