Prof. Moses B. Mochiah
Director
Qualification: PhD. (Entomologist)
Email: cridirector@cropsresearch.org,
cridirector@yahoo.com,
m.mochiah@cropsresearch.org,
mochiah64@yahoo.com
Phone (Office): +233-3220-60425,
+233-3220-60396,
+233-3220-62522, +233-3220-60389
Dr. Moses Branford Mochiah obtained his “Ordinary” and “Advanced” level certificates respectively from the Sunyani Secondary School and the Ghana Secondary Technical School between 1977 and 1984. He went further and obtained a Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He currently holds a PhD in Entomology, an MPhil in Entomology and a BSc in Zoology/Botany-all from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
Since his appointment with the CSIR-Crops Research Institute in November, 2002, Dr. Mochiah has been involved in various research projects. His varied research interest spans from Integrated Pests Management (IPM), the ecology of insect pests and the development of integrated management strategies for pests of vegetables (cabbage, tomatoes, okra, pepper and eggplant) root and tuber crops (cassava and cocoyam), legumes (cowpea and groundnut) and CSIR-CRI mandated crops.
He is currently the coordinator and co-principal investigator for the ECOWAS Project on the Control of Mango Fruit Flies in Ghana. He has also served as the co-principal investigator for the Development and Delivery of Improved Production and Pest Management Packages to Peanut Farmers in Ghana.
As an entomologist, Dr. Moses Branford Mochiah has been involved in the development and release of over twenty-five (25) crop varieties. He was part of the team that worked to release popular varieties such as “Crops Akomapa”, “Crops Ba”, “CRI-Aziga”, “CRI-AGRA SP09”, “ CRI-Kofi Annan”, CRI-Nkatie”, “CRI-Semenhyia” and “CRI-Otuhia”.
Dr. Mochiah was also part of the Groundnut IPM programme that was involved in the development and management of foliar diseases of groundnuts using local soaps in 2004. This technology has been adopted and being used by farmers in several districts of Ghana.
Dr. Mochiah has over one hundred (100) peer-reviewed publications such as refereed journal papers, edited research reports, consultancy reports, conference papers abstracts, book chapters and poster presentations, all of which have been published in international journals. He has travelled extensively, conducted research in both local and international research centres and participated in several national and international scientific conferences and workshops. He is also a fellow of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi Kenya.
Prior to his appointment as the acting and subsequently, the substantive Director of the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, he served as the Deputy Director for about a year. He was also the Institute’s Kwadaso station manager from May, 2016 to May, 2018 and the head of the Plant Health Division of the Institute from 1st January, 2013 to 31st December, 2014.
Dr. M.B. Mochiah has served on various committees within the Institute and has also been an examiner to several undergraduate and post-graduate students from external universities as well as the CSIR College of Science and Technology where he is a part-time lecturer. He has very good knowledge and experience in project management and writing of research proposals for funding.
Dr. Mochiah is a member of the African Association of Insect Scientists (AAIS), a member of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), a member of African Regional Postgraduate Programme in Insect Science Scholars Association (ASA) and a member of the CSIR- Research Staff Association (RSA).
He is currently a Chief Research Scientist and is married with three children.
