Josephine Saul Maora use to be the Head of the Plant Pathology Section at the Cocoa and Coconut Institute Ltd Papua New Guinea, where she manages pests and disease in cocoa, coconut and other crops in PNG. Dr Saul Maora graduated in 1993 with a Master of Science degree from La Trobe University for her study on “Resistance of cocoa genotypes to Phytophthora palmivora in Papua New Guinea”, and was awarded her PhD from the University of Sydney in 2009 for her investigation of “The spatial and temporal diversity of the blackpod pathogen, Phytophthora palmivora, on cocoa across PNG”. Her discoveries made an important contribution to the knowledge upon which IPDM is based, and she continues to promote the adoption of the technology by farmers.
She is currently a Master Trainer in Family Farm Team program training lead males and females from families to appreciate each other and work as a team in setting goals and planning to achieve goals through their agricultural activities. Dr Saul Maora comes from the cocoa-growing Province of Madang and is married with two children.