Faculty Expertise
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
Imagine a plant so valuable it helped shape the course of human civilization — a plant that has stitched together empires, economies and entire ways of life.
That plant is cotton.
Cotton remains one of the most widely used textile fibers in the world. In Georgia alone, cotton covers 1.1 million acres and continues to be the state’s top-grossing row crop, with a 2022 farm gate value of $1.31 billion. But its influence stretches far beyond clothing.
“What makes cotton especially interesting, even among major crops, is its dual purpose,” saidCamp Hand, a cotton agronomist forUniversity of Georgia Cooperative Extensionand a faculty member in theCollege of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “It’s both fiber and food.”
Student Life
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."
The Crop and Soil Sciences Department is proud to recognize the achievements of our graduate students honored at the Beltwide Cotton Conference.
- MS Poster Competition (Agronomy, Physiology, and Soils Conference)
3rd Place Tie: Amie Jones and Lance Wortman (advisor: Hand) - MS Oral Presentation Contest (Agronomy, Physiology, and Soils Conference)
2nd Place: Lance Wortman (advisor: Hand)
3rd Place: Marshall Corkern (advisor: Hand) - PhD Poster Competition (Agronomy, Physiology, and Soils Conference)
3rd Place: Emmanuella Bredu (advisor: Snider) - MS Oral Competition (Agronomy, Physiology, and Soils Conference)
1st Place: Brian Wisekal (advisor: Snider) - MS Poster Competition (Agronomy, Physiology, and Soils Conference)
1st Place: Brian Wisekal (advisor: Snider) - PhD Poster Competition (Agronomy, Physiology, and Soils Conference)
2nd Place: Comfort Adegbenro (advisor: Snider) - MS Poster Competition (Agronomy, Physiology, and Soils Conference)
2nd Place: Ingrid Almeida (advisor: Snider) - PhD Oral Competition (Agronomy, Physiology, and Soils Conference)
3rd Place: Amit Godara (advisor: Snider)
PBGG doctoral student Anita Giabardo (advised by CRSS professor Dr. Robin Buell) is one of two doctoral candidates at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) chosen for the eighth cohort of the prestigious Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) Fellows program, a three-year initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of food and agriculture research leaders.
The fellows will conduct research aligned with FFAR’s global challenge areas and engage in professional development designed to prepare them for leadership across academia, industry and government.
Contact Us
Main Office: 706-542-2461
Fax: 706-542-0914
Miller Plant Sciences Building
120 Carlton Street
Athens GA 30602