Paul Stephens

Paul Stephens is renowned for his decades of groundbreaking research in soybeans. Before his retirement from DuPont Pioneer (now Corteva Agriscience) in 2018, Paul held multiple global roles throughout his tenure. He most recently served as Senior Research Director, leading Corteva’s Global Soybean Breeding Program from 2010 until 2018. Paul began his career with Pioneer as a Research Scientist in 1993 to initiate a new soybean breeding program in northern Illinois. During his career, he led cross-functional teams in innovative science which included moving the company’s soybean breeding program from traditional to molecular-based breeding and conducting research to identify important agronomic markers in soybeans. Paul studied agriculture at Iowa State University where he received his B.S. in Agronomy. He later earned his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. Paul is an inventor on over 100 patents, including patents on novel soy defensive traits and multiple successful commercial soy varieties. Experiencing genetic performance on his own farm reinforces Paul’s close connection to agriculture. He remains a partner in his family’s 3,000-acre corn and soybean farm in west central Illinois.