Faculty Expertise
Wayne Parrott, Distinguished Research Professor in the department of crop and soil sciences, director of the Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics and interim director of the Center for Applied Genetic Technologies in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, along with Olin Rhodes (UGA Athletic Association Professor of Applied Ecology in the Odum School of Ecology and director of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory) have been named University Professor in recognition of their extraordinary impact on the University of Georgia.
In addition to teaching for almost 40 years in the department of crop and soil sciences, Parrott has played an instrumental role in shaping UGA’s study abroad programs. In the mid 1990s, he co-founded one of the university’s earliest study abroad programs, Agroecology of Tropical America. Parrott later served as chair of the risk management board for all UGA study abroad programs, helping the university establish core risk management protocols. He received the Study Abroad Director of the Year Award and Richard Reiff Award for Campus Internationalization in recognition of his enduring impact on UGA’s global initiatives.
University of Georgia researcher - and Crop and Soil Sciences faculty member - Qingguo “Jack” Huang's work focuses on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), the human-made chemicals that are so difficult to break down in the environment that they’re often referred to as “forever chemicals.”
For renowned plant genetics researcher Scott Jackson, returning to the University of Georgia as the inaugural Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Synthetic Biology is an opportunity to harness technological advancements to increase creativity in agricultural research.
Jackson’s work links plant DNA sequences to their functions to improve the productivity and sustainability of vital economic crops. In his new role, he will use advanced modeling to explore the role of interacting genes in agricultural systems, working from DNA to molecules to entire production systems.
Photo by Paul Privette for UGA CAES
Student Life
Graduate students Kamana Pilania, Himani Ahlawat, and Priscilla Campos from the Basinger Lab participated in the M.S. poster session at the Southern Cover Crops Conference 2026 held in Gainesville, Florida February 24-26.
Kamana Pilania (poster title: Flying Seeds: Maybe a Solution for Delayed Cover Crop Planting) placed first and Himani Ahlawat (poster title: Evaluating Cover Crop Mediated Palmer Amaranth Suppression in Cotton-Corn Rotation System) placed second.
Congratulations to the Basinger Team!
Master’s student Matteo Listuzzi earned top honors at the 2026 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference held in Louisville, Kentucky. Listuzzi received First Place in the conference’s highly competitive Student Poster Session and Competition.
Listuzzi is pursuing his master’s degree in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences on UGA’s Tifton campus. Under the mentorship of Dr. Wesley Porter, his research examines advanced precision planting systems in major row crops, with a primary focus on corn and peanuts. His work aims to improve planting accuracy and efficiency using cutting‑edge agricultural technologies.
The award recognizes both the scientific merit and communication quality of his research presentation, highlighting the impact of UGA’s ongoing efforts in precision agriculture innovation.
Congratulations to Racheal Omoboyejo (advisor: Dr. Habteselassie) on her first place win in the poster competition at the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference held in Savannah on January 8-10, 2026.
Omoboyejo's poster was titled "The Impacts of Solarization and Biofumigation on Burkholderia Populations in Soil."
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