The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) started honoring a researcher in 2009. Applications are accepted each year during February 1 to March 31, and a winner is announced on May 1. The Selection Committee is comprised of six anonymous judges outside the ICAC Secretariat. The judges are changed every two years.

Dr. Ibrokhim Y. Abdurakhmonov is a biotechnologist and currently serves as a Director of the Center of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Dr. Abdurakhmonov has received numerous awards and honors from the Government of Uzbekistan and from international organizations. He is member of the Executive Committee of the International Cotton Researchers Association (ICRA), and is on the editorial boards of many journals.

Dr. Abdurakhmonov's research is focused on genomics studies. His team has made major contributions in developing Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers technologies for use in cotton breeding programs. He developed several molecular methods that are efficient, simple and can analyze large numbers of samples within short periods. He is a leader in the field of cloning and characterization of several important cotton gene families.

International Cotton Advisory Committee