Prof. Rodrigo Rodriguez-Kabana is a Distinguished Professor of Nematology at Auburn University, Alabama, USA. He was vice-chairman of the committee that implements the Montreal Protocol, a body that focuses on the removal of substances that deplete the ozone layer. These chemicals include methyl bromide, used extensively in the USA as a soil fumigant.

With the planned phase out of methyl bromide by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Professor Kabana was motivated to find alternatives for soil nematode and fungal control.