To meet coming challenges of climate change and increasing human population, agriculture must reduce its required inputs of energy, water, and chemicals while simultaneously increasing crop productivity and producer profitability and improving soil health.
Faculty Working in this Area
- Department Head, Ag Economics, Sociology, and Education
- Professor of Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics and Demography
Areas of Expertise
- Economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture
- Global food and agricultural markets
- Natural resource economics
- Climate change adaptation and mitigation
- Email dga2@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-8630
- Assistant professor of Entomology/Arthropod ecology
Areas of Expertise
- Insect plant interactions
- Integrated pest management
- Chemical ecology
- Molecular biology
- Associate Professor of Entomology
- Director, Center for Chemical Ecology
- Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Endowed Chair of Chemical Ecology
Areas of Expertise
- Entomology & Nematology
- Insect-Plant Interactions
- Behavioral Ecology
- Chemical Ecology
- Multi-trophic Interactions
- Associate Professor of Entomology
Areas of Expertise
- Social behavior
- Chemical ecology
- Pollinator's health
- Physiology
- Genetics
- Bumble bees
- Email eua6@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-7675
- Professor of Food Science
Areas of Expertise
- Food engineering and modeling
- Heat and mass transfer during food processing
- Microwaveable food product development
- Chocolate processing
- High pressure processing
- Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Entomology and Chemical Ecology
- Director Emeritus, Center for Chemical Ecology
- Email tcb10@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-4435
- Professor of Entomology
Areas of Expertise
- Soil Entomology and Ecology
- Sustainable and Organic Agriculture
- Insect Pathology
- Women and Gender in Science
- Women and Agriculture
- Associate Professor of Avian Biology
- Email pab43@psu.edu
- Office 814-867-2365
- Assistant Professor of Phytobiomes
Areas of Expertise
- High-throughput sequencing
- Crop-associated microbiomes
- Impacts of disturbance on plant-microbe relationships
- Environmental microbiology
- Microbial products
- Professor of Mushrooms
Areas of Expertise
- Mushroom cultivation
- Composting
- Mushroom nutrition and physiology
- IPM and Disease Management for Mushroom cultivation
- Mushroom extension services for the North American mushroom industry
- Tree Fruit Research Entomologist
- Research Professor
Areas of Expertise
- Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management for Tree Fruit, Taxonomy and Natural History of Bees & Biological Control, Orchard Community Ecology & Ecotoxicology, Conservation Biological Control, Invasive Species Insecticide and Native Biological Control, Pesticide Evaluations
- Vernon E. Norris Faculty Fellow of Poultry Nutrition
- Associate Professor of Poultry Science
Areas of Expertise
- Poultry Nutrition
- Feed Manufacturing
- Pellet Quality
- Email jxb2002@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-8934
- Professor of Plant Stress Biology
Areas of Expertise
- Root phenomics
- Anatomical traits affecting water and nutrient acquisition
- Genome-wide association studies
- Root hairs
- Email kbe@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-2260
- Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise
- Evolutionary ecology of legumes and rhizobia
- Plant-microbe-climate interactions
- Mutualism evolution
- Bio-inoculants and leguminous cover crops
- Biological nitrogen Fixation
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS)
- Evolve and resequence
- Associate Professor of Viticulture
Areas of Expertise
- Wine grape production
- Grapevine physiology
- Sustainable viticulture
- cold temperature stress
- Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology
- Research Associate, Rock Ethics Institute
Areas of Expertise
- Environmental sociology
- Food and agricultural ethics
- Science, knowledge, and technology
- Culture and consumption
- Social psychology
- Animals and society
- Qualitative research methods
- Email rchiles@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-8626
- Professor of Maize Genetics
Areas of Expertise
- Epigenetics
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
- Plant-pathogen interactions
- Maize Genetics
- Sorghum Genetics
- Flavonoids
- Phytoalexins
- Plant-fungus interactions
- Plant-insect interactions
- Plant-Environment interactions
- Email sic3@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-1159
- Associate Research Professor
- Director, Southeast Agricultural Research & Extension Center
Areas of Expertise
- Corn Disease
- Soybean Disease
- Wheat Disease
- Hemp Production
- Field Crops Disease Management
- Email aac18@psu.edu
- Office 717-653-4728
- Professor
- Director of the Frost Entomological Museum
Areas of Expertise
- Systematics, natural history collections
- Associate Professor of Dairy Cattle Genetics
- Undergraduate Adviser, Dairy, Genetics
- Email cdechow@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-3659
- Senior Extension Associate
- Email efz@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-2303
- Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
- Graduate Studies Committee Chair
- Professor-in-Charge of the CSL Behring Fermentation Facility
Areas of Expertise
- Bioprocess Engineering/Fermentation: Bioconversion of agricultural raw and waste commodities into value added products including bioenergy/biofuels, microbial enzymes, organic acids, polysaccharides, antimicrobial agents; optimization; novel bioreactors; downstream processing.
- Food Engineering/Food Safety : inactivation of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms by using novel non-thermal processing technologies including pulsed UV light, electrolyzed oxidizing water, and ozone.
- Email demirci@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-1098
- Associate Professor of Vegetable Crop Science
Areas of Expertise
- Sustainable vegetable production systems
- Plant nutrition, soil fertility and irrigation management
- Alternatives to chemical soil fumigation
- Vegetable response to abiotic stress
- Vegetable quality
- Agrobiodiversity and novel vegetable products
- Agronomic biofortification
- Assistant Professor of Phytobiomes
Areas of Expertise
- Microbial community ecology
- Plant-microbe interaction
- Environmental microbiology
- Soil microbiology
- Ecological resilience and resistance
- Causes and consequences of biodiversity
- Clinical Professor
- Avian Pathologist and Field Investigator
Areas of Expertise
- Emphasis on diagnosis and control of infectious diseases of poultry, waterfowl, gamebirds.
- Board certification in the American College of Poultry Veterinarians.
- Assistant Research Professor in Storage Root Physiology
Areas of Expertise
- Root Crop Physiology
- Abiotic Stress
- Breeding for Environmental Stress Resistance
- Phenotyping and Database Management
- Morphometrics of Flowers and Other Plant Organs
- Email loduque@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-0710
- Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Field Crop Pathology
Areas of Expertise
- Integrated management of field crop diseases
- Plant disease epidemiology
- Statistical methods for the agricultural sciences
- Email pde6@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-0680
- Ralph O. Mumma Professor of Entomology and Department Head of Entomology
- Professor Emeritus of Entomology
Areas of Expertise
- Insect population dynamics
- IPM
- Email sjf4@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-7788
- Professor of Plant Genetics
Areas of Expertise
- Plant genetics and breeding
- Molecular breeding
- Biotic stresses
- Abiotic stresses
- Plant nutritional quality
- Tomato
- Email mrf5@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-5408
- Assistant Professor of Food Animal Microbiomes
Areas of Expertise
- Microbiome
- Epidemiology
- Food Production Systems
- Antimicrobial Resistance
- Dairy Cattle
- Mastitis
- Animal Health and Productivity
- Email ganda@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-4084
- Professor of Rural Sociology and Science, Technology, and Society
- Email llg13@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-8636
- Assistant Dean for Graduate Education
- Associate Director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural State Experiment Station
- Professor of Vegetable Pathology
Areas of Expertise
- Integrated vegetable disease management
- Plant pathogen diagnosis
- Disease monitoring and forecasting
- Sustainable crop production
- J. Franklin Styer Professor of Horticultural Botany and Professor of Plant Molecular Biology
Areas of Expertise
- Plant Genomics and Genetics
- Plant Molecular Biology
- Theobroma cacao (cocoa)
- Email mjg9@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-7957
- Director, Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center (FREC)
- Professor of Agricultural Economics
Areas of Expertise
- Farm Management
- Risk Management
- Production Economics
- Professor of Nutritional Physiology
Areas of Expertise
- Milk fat synthesis
- Rumen fatty acid metabolism
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Email kjh182@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-6334
- Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Areas of Expertise
- Mechanization and Automation for Specialty Crops
- Robotic Solutions for Agricultural Applications
- Precision Agriculture
- Electro-Hydraulic Control System
- Email luh378@psu.edu
- Office 717-778-4599
- Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
- Agricultural and Biorenewable Systems Management Undergraduate Coordinator
Areas of Expertise
- Specialty crop mechanization and automation
- Precision agriculture applications for specialty crops
- Applications of artificial intelligence to agricultural systems management and control
- Email hzh@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-2633
- Professor Emeritus of Dairy Science
Areas of Expertise
- Heifer nutrition and management
- Effective fiber for dairy cows
- Email ajh@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-3916
- Tombros Early Career Professor
- Assistant Professor of Arthropod Ecology and Trophic Interactions
Areas of Expertise
- Predator-Prey Interactions
- Arthropod Ecology
- Behavioral Ecology
- Chemical Ecology
- Biological Control
- Professor Emerita of Rural Sociology
Areas of Expertise
- food systems
- sustainable agriculture
- agrarian change
- sustainability transitions
- Interim Department Head, Animal Science
- Associate Professor of Dairy Science
- Extension Educator, Dairy Team
Areas of Expertise
- Dairy Advisory Teams
- Integrated Dairy Management
- Email lah7@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-3672
- Professor of Entomology
- Center for Chemical Ecology
- Center for Pollinator Research
- Insect Biodiversity Center
Areas of Expertise
- Biology and ecology of invasive species
- Insect-microbial symbiosis
- Tritrophic interactions
- Insect virology
- Pollination of forest trees
- Distinguished Professor of Dairy Nutrition
Areas of Expertise
- Dairy Nutrition
- Protein Nutrition of Dairy Cows
- Rumen Fermentation
- Nitrogen Utilization
- Methane Mitigation
- Environment
- Professor of Turfgrass Breeding and Genetics
- Email drh15@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-9805
- Research Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Areas of Expertise
- Chemical and thermochemical conversions of lignocellulosic biomass and other byproducts (including wastes) into value-added products (e.g. platform chemicals and hydrogen gas)
- Developing catalysts for various conversion processes using nanotechnological approaches
- Developing degradable biofilm formulations for agricultural applications
- Various applications of advanced oxidation processes (degradation of toxic organic chemicals in wastewaters, depolymerization of biomass)
- Evaluation of the effects of various fumigation treatments/technologies on the quality characteristics of food products
- Professor Emeritus
Areas of Expertise
- Aerobiology
- Food security
- Integrated Pest Management
- Email sai10@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-6290
- Professor of Forest Resources
Areas of Expertise
- Water Energy Food Nexus
- Bioenergy
- Agroforestry
- Forest Economics and Finance
- International Forestry
- Forest Extension
- Non Timber Forest Products
- Professor of Public Health
Areas of Expertise
- Diagnostic Microbiology
- Veterinary Public Health
- Food Safety
- Epidemiology
- New and Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Professor and Associate Head, Department of Plant Science
- Director, Golf Course Turfgrass Management Program
Areas of Expertise
- Turfgrass Science
- Cannabis Science
- Pest Management
- Professor of Horticultural Marketing and Business Management
- Affiliate Appointment: Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education
Areas of Expertise
- Alcoholic beverage trends
- Wine consumer attitudes and behaviors
- Produce and ethnic food marketing
- Retail layout and design
- Promotional strategies
- Extension Tree Fruit Entomologist
- Research Professor
Areas of Expertise
- Insect plant interactions
- Integrated pest management
- Biological control
- Tree fruit insect pests
- Insects rearing
- Laboratory and field bioassays
- Invasive insect pests
- Pesticide resistance
- Emeritus Professor
Areas of Expertise
- Turfgrass weed management
- Turfgrass nutrient management
- Irrigation water quality
- Composts as soil amendments
- Evaluation of turfgrass species and cultivars
- Management and selection of grasses for non-mowed/naturalized areas
- Email pjl1@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-1017
- Associate Clinical Professor
- Avian Diagnostic and Outreach Veterinarian
Areas of Expertise
- Diagnostic pathology – avian species
- Field diagnostic investigations – chickens, turkeys, upland gamebirds, waterfowl, hatchery, and processing
- Emphasis on diagnosis, prevention, and control of infectious diseases of commercial poultry
- Turkey production medicine, including clostridial diseases and reoviral hepatitis
- Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
- Machinery and Biomass Logistics
- Program contact for Agricultural Systems Management Minor; Off-Road Equipment Minor
Areas of Expertise
- Agricultural Machinery
- Machine design and test
- Biomass harvesting, handling and logistics
- Biomass in-field processing and densification
- Hydraulics and Pneumatic system design and test
- Email jliu@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-6844
- Professor of Animal Genomics
- Undergraduate Adviser
- Graduate Faculty in Animal Science, Bioinformatics and Genomics (BG), and Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Biosciences (MCIBS) programs.
Areas of Expertise
- Structural, functional and comparative genomics
- Animal breeding and genetics
- Epigenetics/epigenomics
- Mammalian sex (X and Y) chromosome and evolution
- Ruminant Y-linked genes and male fertility
- Testis development and spermatogenesis
- Email wul12@psu.edu
- Office 814-867-1673
- Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor
- Associate Professor of Entomology
- Clinical Professor Emeritus
- Avian Virologist
Areas of Expertise
- Avian Virology- Isolation/Identification of Various Avian Viruses
- Animal Models for Pathogenicity and Vaccine-Challenge Studies
- Avian Influenza Virus Monoclonal Antibodies & Assays Development
- Avian Reovirus Genotyping and Full Genomic Characterizations
- NGS-Next Generation Sequencing in Diagnostic Virology
- Molecular & Monoclonal-based Virology Assays Development
- Biosensor and Nanotechnology Assays in Virus Detection
- University Distinguished Professor
Areas of Expertise
- crop ecophysiology
- plant adaptation to abiotic stress
- plant genetics
- simulation modeling
- Email jpl4@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-2256
- Lloyd and Dottie Huck Chair of Functional Genomics
- Professor of Biology
- Professor of Plant Science
- Email sam795@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-8324
- Professor of Horticulture
Areas of Expertise
- Tree and Small Fruit Physiology
- Fruit production systems
- Data Analysis
- Email rpm12@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-2251
- Research Professor of Plant Biotechnology
Areas of Expertise
- Plant Biotechnology
- Plant Functional Genomics
- Plant Tissue Culture
- Plant Propagation
- Plant Disease Resistance
- Plant – Microbes Interactions
- Program Coordinator, Turfgrass Science Major
- Professor of Soil Science
- Director, Center for Sports Surface Research
Areas of Expertise
- Turfgrass Soil Physical Properties
- Playing surface characterization and safety
- Athletic Field and Golf Course Drainage
- Athletic Field and Golf Course Construction and Maintenance
- Email amcnitt@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-1368
- Professor Emeritus of Poultry Science
- Email php1@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-3414
- Associate Research Professor
- Director of Graduate Studies
- Mushroom Science and Technology Minor Advisor
- Manager - Mushroom Research Center
- Director - Mushroom Spawn Lab
Areas of Expertise
- Substrate Microbiology
- Mushroom Cultivation
- Composting
- Integrated Pest Management
- Associate Research Professor
Areas of Expertise
- Potato
- Potato diseases
- Email xsq1@psu.edu
- Office 814-867-4928
- Professor Emeritus of Entomology
- Email uvu@psu.edu
- Office 8142808254
- Professor of Reproductive Biology
- Walther H. Ott Professor in Avian Biology
- Director of Graduate Studies
Areas of Expertise
- Endocrinology
- Ovarian Cancer Research
- Reproductive Biology
- Email rameshr@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-5202
- Associate Professor of Entomology
- Email tur158@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-5752
- Assistant Professor of Plant Response to Abiotic Stress
- Assistant Professor of Marketing and Local/Regional Food Systems
Areas of Expertise
- Local Food Systems
- Agritourism
- Craft beverage industry
- Value added agriculture
- Farm management
- Economics of Animal and Zoonotic Diseases
- Professor of Pomology
Areas of Expertise
- Tree fruit production
- Orchard management systems
- Crop load management of tree fruit
- Fruit tree pruning and training
- Email jrs42@psu.edu
- Office 717-778-4588
- Assistant Research Professor
- Email Lena@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-2257
- Professor of Entomology
- Director of Graduate Studies
- Coordinator of Entomology minor
- State IPM Coordinator and Director of the PA IPM program
Areas of Expertise
- Insect ecology
- Plant-insect interactions
- Conservation biological control
- Chemical ecology
- Gall insects
- Email tooker@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-7082
- Extension Educator, Apiculture
Areas of Expertise
- Apiculture
- Email rmu1@psu.edu
- Office 484-268-5208
- Senior Research Associate
- Associate Clinical Professor, Avian Pathologist and Field Investigator
Areas of Expertise
- Biosecurity and disease prevention in backyard and small commercial Flocks
- Poultry diseases and management interactions
- Avian toxicology
- Diseases of game birds,pigeons, exotic and pet birds
- Poultry Handling and Transportation Animal Welfare
- Professor of Agricultural Economics
Areas of Expertise
- Nonlinear, stochastic, dynamic system solution and simulation
- Applied econometrics
- Household and firm-level choice & performance
- Computational simulation
- Applied game modeling
- Valuation of and economic adaptation to extreme events (e.g. climate change)
- Professor
Areas of Expertise
- Molecular plant-microbe interactions
- Disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance
- Functional genomics and biotechnology
- Genome editing and engineering
- Precision breeding and crop improvement
- Gene-edited and genetically modified organisms
- Email yuy3@psu.edu
- Office 814-867-0324
Office for Research and Graduate Education
Address
217 Agricultural Administration BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802-2600
- Email agresearch@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-3136
Office for Research and Graduate Education
Address
217 Agricultural Administration BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802-2600
- Email agresearch@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-3136
