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Agricultural Sciences Faculty
- Amer AbuGhazaleh
- Kofi Akamani
- Ira Altman
- Gary Apgar
- Jebaraj Asirvatham
- Andrew Carver
- Jose Franco Da Cunha Leme Filho
- Eduardo Gastal
- John Groninger
- Eric Holzmueller
- Karen Jones
- Wanki Moon
- Clay Nielsen
- Logan Park
- Brent Pease
- Erin Perry
- Charles Ruffner
- Amir Sadeghpour
- Dwight Sanders
- Jon Schoonover
- Bradley Taylor
- Alan S. Walters
- Karl Williard
- Jim Zaczek
- Stella Kantartzi
- Khalid Meksem
- Seburn Pense
- Steven Still
- Jayakrishnan Nair
- Jason Bond
- Ahmad Fakhoury
- Ruplal Choudhary
- Karla Gage
-
Contact Us
618-453-2421
agsaluki@siu.edu
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Agricultural Sciences Faculty
Our faculty are a unique blend of researchers, educators and professionals who are proven experts in their fields.
Amer AbuGhazaleh, Professor
Animal Science
Dr. AbuGhazaleh has a PhD in dairy science from South Dakota State University. After completing his PhD, Dr. AbuGhazaleh worked as a research scientist in the Department of Animal Science at Clemson University, South Carolina.
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Agriculture Building, Room 119
618-453-1767
aabugha@siu.edu
Kofi Akamani, Professor
Forestry
Kofi Akamani is a Professor of Forest Recreation and Conservation Social Science in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University. Akamani conducts research in rural communities in Ghana and the US in order to better understand and enhance the resilience of rural resource-dependent communities and the adaptive governance of forests, water resources, and agricultural landscapes in the face of climate change impacts and other change drivers.View Full Bio
Agriculture Building, Room 194-B
618-453-7464
k.akamani@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Ira Altman , Director, School of Agricultural Sciences
Dr. Altman grew up on a mixed, grain and beef, farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. He attended the University of Saskatchewan and received a BA (Double Honors) in Economics and Political Science and an MSc in Agricultural Economics. He completed his Phd at the University of Missouri in Agricultural Economics in 2005. He is married with two sons.
SPECIAL INTERESTS
Dr. Altman specializes in many aspects of agribusiness economics but especially organizational economics and regional economics or rural development of emerging industries. His research includes the application of transaction cost economics, economic impacts and financial feasibility of developing industries such as bioenergy.
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Agriculture Building 226-C
618-453-2430
ialtman@siu.edu
Gary Apgar, Professor
Animal Science
Dr. Apgar received his graduate degrees from Virginia Tech in ‘91 and ’94 in swine nutrition.
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Agriculture Building, Room 125
618-453-1763
pigguy@siu.edu
Jebaraj Asirvatham, Associate Professor, Agriculture Economics
Dr. Jebaraj Asirvatham (Jeb) is Associate Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the Department of Agribusiness Economics. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics in 2011 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining SIU, Dr. Jeb worked as an Instructor and as a post-doctoral research associate in the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. His primary research interests are Consumer Economics, Health Economics, and Nutrition and Health Behavior. Currently, he is researching causal effects of school food environment and peers on childhood obesity. He has received two international awards.
SPECIALTY/INTERESTS:
Influence of school food environment and social networks on health and nutritional outcomes.
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Agriculture Building 226-C
618-453-1709
jebaraj@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Jason Bond, Professor
Crop, Soil and Environmental Management
You can learn additional information about Dr. Bond's research, teaching and service:
- "Make Plans Now to Fight Soybean Pests" [SIUC Press Release, 03/04/2003]
- "Joint Research Effort Tackles Soybean Diseases" [SIUC Press Release, 05/13/2003]
- "Scientists Join Forces to Manage Soybean Diseases" [SIUC Press Release, 12/09/2003]
- "Some Commercial Soybean Varieties Lack Disease Resistance" [SIUC Press Release 07/20/2004]
- "Three Diseases Cropping Up in Soybean Fields" [SIUC Press Release 08/23/2004]
- "Yield Loss from Soybean SDS Could Reach $100 Million" [SIUC Press Release 09/09/2004]
- "Researchers Gaining Ground on Soybean Diseases" [SIUC Press Release 12/07/2004]
- "Drought Minimized Impact of Soybean SDS" [SIUC Press Release 11/01/2005]
- "Scientists on Guard for Signs of Asian Rust" [SIUC Press Release 06/13/2006]
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Public Policy Institute, Room 120
618-453-4309
jbond@siu.edu
Andrew Carver, Professor
Forestry, Horticulture, Environmental Resources and Policy
Dr. Carver is Professor of Conservation Planning and Sustainable Development in the School of Forestry and Horticulture. Dr. Carver has led a globally recognized teaching and research program in international natural resource conservation and international development. His research informs policy decision making in Europe, North America, Central America and Central Asia.
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Agriculture Building, Room 186-B
618-453-7461
acarver@siu.edu
Ruplal Choudhary, Professor
Agricultural Systems and Education
Dr. Choudhary is a Food and Bioprocess Engineer with over 20 years of academic and industrial experience in design and development of food processing equipment and operations. Before moving to SIU, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Manitoba, and South Dakota State University.
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Agriculture Building, Room 158-C
618-453-6985
choudhry@siu.edu
Jose Franco Da Cunha Leme Filho, Assistant Professor
Plant Biology, Horticulture, and Crop, Soil, and Environmental Management
Research:
Joint appointment in the School of Forestry and Horticulture and the School of Biological Sciences. The Cannabis Biology and Cultivation Systems lab focuses on areas of controlled environment agriculture, plant secondary metabolites, nutraceutical/pharmaceutical biology, and growing practices.
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Agriculture Building 176 CAhmad Fakhoury, Professor
Crop, Soil and Environmental Management
Special Interests:
Plant pathology, fungal genetics, mycotoxins, plant-microbe interactions
Classes:
- CSEM/PSAS 403A (Field Crops Diseases)
- CSEM 300 (Field Crop Production)
- CSEM/PSAS 455 (Biology of Plant Microbe Interactions)
Education:
- Ph.D. Botany and Plant Pathology-Purdue University
- M.Sc. Plant Protection- American University of Beirut
- B.Sc. Agriculture- American University of Beirut
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Public Policy Institute, Room 110
618-453-1782
amfakhou@siu.edu
Karla Gage, Associate Professor
Crop, Soil and Environmental Management
Dr. Karla Gage is Assistant Professor of Weed Science and Plant Biology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she received her Ph.D. in Plant Biology with a focus in Weed Ecology in 2013. She holds a cross-appointment between the College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Soil and Agricultural Systems and the College of Science, Department of Plant Biology. She has experience working with weed management research, planning and control in agricultural, grassland, forest, and aquatic ecosystems.
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Public Policy Institute, Room 108 Eduardo Gastal, Professor
Animal Science
Dr. Gastal’s interests are focused on fundamental and applied studies in animal reproduction. In his studies, he uses the mare and cow as primary animal models and small ruminants. His research program's goals focus on advancing knowledge of mechanisms for improving reproductive efficiency, inducing contraception, and overcoming health-reproductive issues caused by obesity and aging in these animal species.
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Agriculture Building, Room 129
618-453-1774
egastal@siu.edu
John Groninger, Acting Associate Dean, Professor
Forestry
My students and I evaluate silvicultural and agroforestry approaches to achieving a variety of interrelated objectives, including watershed stabilization, fuelwood/biomass, timber, wildlife, recreation, and biodiversity ranging from rural to urbanized landscapes.View Full Bio
Eric Holzmueller, Professor
Forestry
Eric Holzmueller joined the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University faculty as an Assistant Professor in August 2007. Dr. Holzmueller specializes in forest management and ecology and teaches courses in these areas within the Department of Forestry. He has conducted research across the eastern United States concerning ecological and management issues in Central Hardwood Forests. In 2019, he was named Executive Director of the Illinois Forestry Development Council.View Full Bio
Karen Jones, Professor
Animal Science
Dr. Karen Jones serves as the Associate Dean and Director of the SIU Graduate School. She received her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Veterinary Physiology. She is an embryologist and geneticist by training and one of the first people in the nation to clone cattle from adult cells. Her early works investigated the epigenetic influence of DNA methylation on the cloning procedure. Her later works focused on the impacts of feeding endophyte infected fescue on reproduction in cattle and horses as well as supporting many topics in the animal and agronomic sciences.
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Student Services Building 335
618-453-4525
kljones@siu.edu
Stella Kantartzi, Professor
Crop, Soil and Environmental Management
Dr. Stella K. Kantartzi joined the Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2008 and currently serves as Professor. She published more than 65 refereed manuscripts and six book chapters; edited one book; released five cultivars and seven germplasm lines; and awarded over $7 million in federal and state grants. She serves as an Editor or Associate Editor for high-ranking scientific journals.
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Public Policy Institute, Room 107Khalid Meksem, Professor
Crop, Soil and Environmental Management
Dr. Meksem joined the Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems at SIU as an Assistant Professor from 2000 to 2005, then as Associate Professor from 2005 to 2008, and was promoted to full Professor in 2009. He published more than 60 refereed manuscripts, 3 book chapters; Dr. Meksem edited 3 books and was awarded 4 patents on his work on disease resistance genes in potato and soybean. He serves as an editor and ad hoc reviewer for a number of international scientific journals as well as for national, federal and international granting agencies.
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Public Policy Institute, Room 115Wanki Moon, Professor and Graduate Program Director, Agribusiness Economics
Wanki Moon has a Ph.D in Agricultural Economics from the University of Florida. His research interests include global governance of agricultural trade, WTO trade rules, the global food system, political economy of agricultural trade negotiations, and multifunctionality of agriculture as a paradigm shaping a new order of global agriculture.
SPECIALTY AND INTERESTS
Dr. Moon’s research interests include a range of subject matter issues within the disciplines of agricultural economics, international political economy, and global governance of agricultural trade.
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Agriculture Building 223-B
618-453-6741
wmoon@siu.edu
Jayakrishnan Nair, Assistant Professor
Animal Science
Dr. Jay specializes in beef cattle nutrition, forage production, and management. Research at Nair’s Lab focuses on expanding the understanding of nutrient utilization and metabolism of beef cattle, improving production efficiency, and reducing the environmental footprint of beef operations through sustainable beef production systemsView Full Bio
Agriculture Building, Room 115618-453-7105
jay.nair@siu.edu
Clay Nielsen, Professor
Forestry
Dr. Clay Nielsen is Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in the Department of Forestry and Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory at Southern Illinois University, where he received his Ph.D. in Zoology in 2001.View Full Bio
Logan Park, Associate Professor
Forestry
Logan O. Park is the Associate Professor of Forest Recreation and Park Management in the Forestry Department of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
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Brent Pease, Assistant Professor
Forestry
Dr. Brent Pease is an assistant professor of biodiversity conservation in the Forestry Program at Southern Illinois University. His research interests include ecology and conservation of wildlife, species distribution modeling, citizen science, applied spatial ecology, and landscape ecology.View Full Bio
Seburn Pense, Professor
Agricultural Systems and Education
Dr. Pense is originally from Tacoma, Washington. After serving 4 years in the U.S. Navy, he completed his B.S. and Masters degrees in California at U.C. Davis.
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Agriculture Building, Room 154-A
618-453-2467
sebpense@siu.edu
Erin Perry, Professor
Animal Science
Dr. Perry is an award-winning scientist and author with more than a decade of research experience investigating working canine health and performance. She has been a canine search specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency for more than 20 years. She is a tenured professor and an invited speaker on working canine health and performance at both national and international conferences. Dr. Perry has served on the DoD Military Working Canine Research Forum Steering Committee, the US Joint Forces NORTHCOMM Canine Decontamination Working Group, the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation Review panel and as a consultant for various law enforcement and emergency response agencies. Dr. Perry’s canine research program focuses on challenges faced by working dogs in operational conditions.
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Agriculture Building, Room 131
618-453-1358
erin.perry@siu.edu
Charles Ruffner, Professor
Forestry
Charles M. Ruffner, Ph.D., specializes in old-growth forest ecology and fire history in his research and teaching, and is deeply engaged in service with professional and community groups at multiple scales.
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Amir Sadeghpour, Associate Professor
Crop, Soil and Environmental Management
Dr. Amir Sadeghpour is an Assistant Professor of Soil Management and Integrated Cropping Systems in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
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Agriculture Building, Room 176
618-453-1795
amir.sadeghpour@siu.edu
https://asadeghpour.com/
Dwight Sanders, Professor, Agribusiness Economics
Dwight Sanders is a Professor in Agribusiness Economics. His industry experience includes production agriculture (cow-calf operation), commodity futures brokerage, as well as key positions with The Pillsbury Company and Darden Restaurants, Inc.
SPECIAL INTERESTS
Forecasting; forecast evaluation; risk management; hedging; futures and options markets; speculative impacts on commodity prices; development of new futures contracts; analysis of new markets for agricultural products.
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Agriculture Building 226 E
618-453-1711
dwights@siu.edu
Jon Schoonover, Professor
Forestry
Dr. Schoonover serves as Professor of Physical Hydrology and Soils in the Forestry Program at SIUC.
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Steven Still, Assistant Professor
Agricultural Systems and Education
Dr. Still was born in Champaign, Il and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He completed his BS in agriculture with a minor in agriculture education at The Ohio State University before teaching high school agriculture for eight years in central Ohio, during which he earned his M.Ed.
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Agriculture Building, Room 176
618-453-2498
steven.still@siu.edu
Bradley Taylor, Associate Professor
Horticulture
Bradley Taylor is a fruit crops specialist whose life-long passion is getting to know, grow, and enjoy perennial fruit crops. Understanding and appreciating apples, peaches, berry crops and grapes, and winemaking are the missions of both work and hobby. His program focuses on the use of pruning, plant training, mineral fertility program, rootstocks and plant growth regulators to efficiently produce wholesome, delectable fruit. He has developed experience navigating the art and science of matching crop species, varieties and rootstocks with the specific field sites, growers and market opportunities. Learning how to manage the cultivation and use of fruit crops is very challenging, but sharing these experiences with students, growers, consumers and other professionals is this career’s greatest reward!View Full Bio
Agriculture Building, Room 176-BAlan Walters, Professor
Horticulture
Dr. Alan Walters is a Professor of Vegetable Science and Breeding in the School of Forestry and Horticulture at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. He is also a two-time prestigious Fulbright Research Scholar.
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Agriculture Building 178
618-453-3446
awalters@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Karl Williard, Professor and Director
Forestry, School of Forestry and Horticulture
Karl W.J. Williard is a Professor of Forest Hydrology and Watershed Management in the Forestry Program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU).
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Jim Zaczek, Professor
Forestry
As a Saluki Forestry alumnus, I strive to continue the quality educational opportunities imparted to me by my former SIU professors.
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