FuturaGene is an international team based between Israel, US and Brazil. We are building a climate-smart bioeconomy through improved trees. We develop genetically modified and gene-edited traits for yield enhancement, climate resilience, pest and disease resistance, herbicide tolerance, and wood quality, and carry them end-to-end from gene discovery through field trials to regulatory approval and commercial planting. Since 2015, we have received more than ten different approvals for genetically modified eucalyptus varieties from Brazil’s CTNBio, and in 2026 we secured the world’s first regulatory exemption for a gene-edited tree, making FuturaGene the only company with both GM and gene-edited eucalyptus cleared for commercial use.

The people who lead that work:

Miron Abramson – Group CEO

Miron joined FuturaGene in 2006, then known as CBD Technologies, as a part-time researcher during his graduate studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His doctoral work under Prof. Oded Shoseyov, the scientific founder of CBD Technologies, seeded what became FuturaGene’s Wood Quality platform. He moved full-time in 2010, the year of the Suzano acquisition, as Head of Yield Enhancement and Wood Quality, and over the following fifteen years helped shape FuturaGene’s R&D operation in Israel alongside the wider leadership team, including its tissue culture and transformation, wood quality laboratory, and field-trial programme. From 2021 to 2024 he also served as Chief Technology Officer of Miruku Ltd., a molecular farming company. He has been Chief Executive Officer of FuturaGene since December 2025. He holds a Ph.D. in Plant Sciences and an M.Sc. in Biotechnology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Ana Cristina Pinheiro, VP of Regulatory Affairs

Ana joined FuturaGene in 2020 after 23 years at Dow AgroSciences (later Corteva Agriscience), where she led seeds biotechnology regulation, compliance and stewardship. At FuturaGene she leads global regulatory strategy, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement, and has played a central role in securing CTNBio approvals for FuturaGene’s genetically modified eucalyptus. She also serves as Chair of ISO/TC 287: Sustainable Processes for Wood and Wood-based Products.
Ana holds a degree in Technological Chemistry from the Federal University of Campinas, and postgraduate degrees in Crop Protection (Federal University of Viçosa) and Biotechnology (Federal University of Lavras).

Dror Avisar – Senior VP of R&D, Global

Dror Avisar joined FuturaGene in 2010 and built the company’s yield-protection pipeline (herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, and disease resistance) from the bench through to regulatory approval. He also leads the molecular biology and bioinformatics function across FuturaGene’s R&D. Since December 2025, Dror has served as Senior Vice President of Research & Development, Global. He holds a Ph.D. in Plant Sciences from Tel Aviv University (2004) and completed postdoctoral research on plant cellular motility systems of viruses and cargo at Oregon State University (2004–2008) and the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO) in Israel (2008–2010).

Esteban Roberto Gonzalez – VP of R&D and Finance, Brazil

Esteban joined Suzano in 2002 to set up and develop its biotechnology programme, and moved with that programme to FuturaGene in 2011. Since then, he has led FuturaGene’s Brazilian R&D operation: the tissue culture, transformation biofactory and insect resistance development. He also oversees Brazil finance and budgeting, and has been Vice President of R&D and Finance, Brazil since December 2025.
He holds a doctorate in Agronomy, Genetics and Plant Breeding from ESALQ/University of São Paulo (2002), where he worked under Prof. Carlos Alberto Labate.

Rodrigo Neves Graça – VP of Product and Business Development

Rodrigo joined FuturaGene in 2011 and led the field-trial programme that generated the data supporting Brazil’s approval of event H421, the world’s first commercially approved GM eucalyptus. His team now leads selection of elite GM and gene-edited clones, technology deployment with Suzano’s breeding and forest management teams, and the commercial partnerships. He holds a doctorate in plant-pathogen population genetics from the Federal University of Viçosa, with a one-year scholarship at Washington State University (Pullman, WA) and the USDA research centre in Moscow, ID.

Noga Barimboim – VP of Finance, Operations & HR, FGN Israel

Noga Barimboim joined FuturaGene in 2002, when the company was still a small Israeli startup, and has been part of its evolution through the Suzano acquisition in 2010 to its role today as Suzano’s biotechnology R&D centre. She has led the Israeli finance, operations, and human resources functions across that period, and in December 2025 was appointed Vice President of Finance, Operations & HR. She holds an M.Sc. in Biotechnology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Carolina da Silva Rocha – Head of R&D on Molecular Biology

Carolina da Silva Rocha joined FuturaGene in 2012 and currently leads the Molecular Biology R&D area. She is responsible for driving molecular biology research in Brazil, supporting the development of genetically modified eucalyptus. She also leads a quality control program in commercial eucalyptus nurseries, ensuring clonal identity and disease monitoring.
She holds a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Breeding from the Federal University of Viçosa, and completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at Embrapa Soybean in Londrina, Brazil.