Dr. Elnara Khankishiyeva Ahmadova is the Deputy Director of the Absheron Experimental Station of the Scientific Research Institute of Fruit- and Tea-growing of the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan Republic. She completed her graduate work, bachelor's and master's degrees in Plant Pathology at Azerbaijan State Agricultural University. She earned her PhD from the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Genetic Resources Institute Immunology and Genetics. She performed her research on screening for resistance genes against scab of apple genotypes and application in breeding at the Plant Protection and Gene analysis laboratories at the Julius Kühn Institut Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants in Dresden-Germany. In her research at JKI, she identified Rvi1, Rvi2, Rvi8, Rvi3, Rvi4, Pl2, Rvi9, Rvi11, Rvi12, Rvi13, and Rvi15 genes resistant to the pathogen Venturia inaequalis for the first time in Azerbaijan. She has also led the projects "Preparation and organization of short-term training courses on orchard management" (with the financial support of the German Society for International Cooperation - GIZ - Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), private sector development support project in the South Caucasus) and complex development of villages,  funded by IFAD. In her more than 13 years of research experience, she has published over 30 research papers and review articles in international refereed journals.

Dr. Aytac Askerova is the head of the Molecular Biology Laboratory. In 2023, she was admitted to the Ph.D. specialty Fruit Growing and Viticulture. Her PhD work is "Evaluation of the genetic diversity of hazelnut plants and application of innovative technologies in their cultivation". Over the years, she has worked in molecular biology laboratories in Turkey and Belarus. She also participated in the project "Study of the fundamentals of embryogenesis and morphogenesis induction in fruit and berry plants in vitro, obtaining biopreparations that increase the development, productivity, and resistance of the obtained clones to pathogens, and preparation of scientific bases of production technology" from the Science Development Fund. She has also been involved in projects to study the apple latent viruses (Apple chlorotic leaf spot trichovirus (ACLSV), Apple mosaic ilarvirus (ApMV), and Apple stem-grooving virus (ASGV).

Dr. Aynur arabzade is an associate professor. She graduate from the Faculty of Biology of Baku State University. She conducted her research on the bio-ecological characteristics of apple (Malus Mill.) introduced to Absheron region. She has been studying the development and growth of sprouts, morphology, root system as well as phenology, biochemical composition of fruits, seed reproduction and the mor­phology of pollen grains. Currently, she is working as a senior researcher in the “Selection of subtropical and grubby fruit plants” department of the Scientific Research Institute of Fruit and Tea Growing of the Ministry of Agriculture, Azerbaijan Republic.

Dr. Sadigov Aladdin Niftali is a professor of agricultural sciences. He was engaged in the selection and apple variety development throughout his career. He studied approximately 400 apple varieties in Azerbaijan. He selected 28 varieties from these varieties

and used them as parents in the breeding program. Five of the varieties he developed were regionalized and are currently being grown in the orchards in Azerbaijan. He has published approximately 200 scientific articles, 6 books, and 2 monographs describing selection and breeding of apples. He has also trained PhD students. He continues selection and variety development.