Henry Nguyen, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Plant Genetics, was recently elected one of the 2020 fellows of the India National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Fellows of the Academy are recognized for excellence in agricultural science, research, technology and innovation. Nguyen has made several significant contributions in drought tolerance research, especially in the root architecture in rice, as well as the stay green trait in sorghum. His research laid a foundation for genomic discovery and applications to rice and sorghum breeding for improved drought tolerance in India and worldwide.