Faculty research profiles are listed below grouped by research areas. You will learn about the primary focus of each faculty's research program and are encouraged to contact them if you are interested in collaboration or graduate studies. Visit their faculty page for more details about their research, teaching, and publications.
Plant-Environment Interactions
Sustainable Horticulture
Dr. Moriah Bilenky
Mailing Address:
Dr. Moriah Bilenky
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Sustainable Vegetable Cropping Systems
- Sustainable Horticulture
- Sustainable vegetable production
- Organic agriculture
- Cover crops
- Crop rotation
Kyle Daniel
Mailing Address:
Kyle Daniel
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Commercial Landscape and Nursery Crops
- Landscaping
- Trees/Shrubs
- Nursery Production
- Weed Control
- Sustainable Landscapes
- Ornamental Plants
- Sustainable Production of Landscape Plants
- Landscape Maintenance
- Extension
- Green Industry Education
- Tree Roots
- Green Industry
- Response of Landscape Plants to Climate Change
- Urban Plants
- Native Plants
- Invasive Plants
As a Departmental Ombudsperson, I am happy to engage with undergraduate students about anything, but especially about issues or events, personal or academic, that have adversely affected studies or ability to focus on academics. All interactions are confidential. Suggestions intended to be helpful may be made, but are not required, and are non-binding. Sometimes just having someone to talk to who will listen and who is supportive is enough!
Dr. Wenjing Guan
Mailing Address:
Dr. Wenjing Guan
Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center
4369 N. Purdue Rd.
Vincennes, IN 47591
Area of Specialization: Commercial Vegetable and Melon Production & Vegetable Grafting
- Commercial fruit and vegetable production
- High tunnel
- Pest management
- Local food
- Urban farming
- Small farm
Dr. Steve G. Hallett
Mailing Address:
Dr. Steve Hallett
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
AREA OF SPECIALIZATION: SMALL FARM SUSTAINABILITY, WEED SCIENCE
- Undergraduate teaching: SFS program
- Sustainable agriculture
- Diversity & Food Justice
- Purdue Student Farm
- Environmental writing
Dr. Peter Hirst
Mailing Address:
Dr. Peter Hirst
Purdue University
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Pomology
Dr. Lori Hoagland
Lori Hoagland
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Agroecology, soil nutrient and heavy metal cycling, pathogen biocontrol, food quality, and safety
- Urban agriculture
- Soil health
- Organic vegetable production
- Microbiomes
Liz Maynard
Mailing Address:
Liz Maynard
Purdue Horticulture
1101 Glendale Boulevard, Suite 101A
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Ph: 219-548-3674
Area of Specialization: Vegetable Production
- Vegetable farming – field and high tunnel production, research
- Vegetable farming – Extension, outreach
- NW Indiana
Stephen Meyers
Mailing Address:
Stephen Meyers
625 Agriculture Mall Dr
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Weed management in specialty crops
- Hort crops weeds
- Weed-crop interactions
- Weed ecology
- Production horticulture
- Integrated pest management (IPM)
Dr. Kathryn Orvis
Mailing Address:
Kathryn Orvis
625 Agriculture Mall Dr
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Horticulture/Youth Education
- Using plants for teaching
- STEM education
- Youth gardening
- Extension education
- Plant science education
- Urban agriculture
Miranda Purcell
Mailing Address:
Miranda Purcell
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Viticulture
- Wine grapes
- Table grapes
- Vineyards
Ariana P. Torres
Mailing Address:
Ariana P. Torres
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Specialty Crops Marketing, with the end of promoting economic sustainability for the Horticulture Industry.
- Consumer preferences for foods/plants
- Economic feasibility of horticultural technologies
- Marketing and market access
- Social media marketing
Plant-Environment Interactions
Dr. Cale Bigelow
Mailing Address:
Dr. Cale Bigelow
Purdue University
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Turf Science, Ecology, Nutrition and Management
- Plant Sciences
- Urban soils
- Turf science
- Golf courses and athletic fields
- Lawns
- Urban sustainability
Ray Bressan
Area of Specialization: Stress Physiology
- Cannabis/cannabinoids
- Endocannabinoid system
- Cannabis genetics/haploid induction/CRISPR
- Neurobiology/receptors/pharmacology biased ligand receptors/GPCR heterodimers/opioid replacement/
- Systems biology/signal processing
- Webs and networks
Dr. Lori Hoagland
Lori Hoagland
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Agroecology, soil nutrient and heavy metal cycling, pathogen biocontrol, food quality, and safety
- Urban agriculture
- Soil health
- Organic vegetable production
- Microbiomes
Ying li
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Histone modification; Environmental responses; Systems Biology; Plant Genetics
- Plant genetics/molecular genomics
Michael Mickelbart
Mailing Address:
Michael Mickelbart
915 W. State St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Plant environmental acclimation
- Drought tolerance
- Plant physiology
- Water-use efficiency
- Plant development
Dr. Aaron Patton
Mailing Address:
Dr. Aaron Patton
Purdue Turf Program
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Turfgrass Science and Turfgrass Weed Science
K.G. Raghothama
Mailing Address:
K. G. Raghothama
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Molecular Biology of Plant Nutrition
- Tropical horticulture
- International horticulture
- Plant nutrition
Kranthi Varala
Mailing Address:
Kranthi Varala
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Molecular basis and regulation of plant abiotic stress tolerance
Josh Widhalm
Mailing Address:
Joshua Widhalm
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Plant natural product metabolism
- Plant biology
- Metabolism
- Functional genomics
- Biotechnology
- Synthetic biology
Landscape Systems and Design/Landscape Architecture
David Barbarash
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
- Landscape architecture
- Urban design
- Post-occupancy evaluation
- Digital graphics and modeling
- Co-operative internships and employment
Yiwei Huang
huan1655@purdue.edu
Urban EXP, Dr. Yiwei Huang's Lab Site
Link to Profile Page
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Therapeutic and Edible Gardens for Urban Underrepresented Communities and Public Perception of Sustainable Outdoor Design
- Age factors (children and senior) and environment needs
- Green infrastructure and stormwater management
- Therapeutic landscape
Aaron W. Thompson
Mailing Address:
Aaron W. Thompson
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 479077
Area of Specialization: Land Use Planning and Natural Resource Management
- Environmental design
- Landscape planning
- Public-sector jobs (i.e. National Park Service)
- Community engagement
Paul Siciliano
Mailing Address:
Paul Siciliano
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: History & Theory of Landscape Architecture
- Landscape Architecture
- Planting Design (eco-connected landscapes)
- Landscape Plant Materials
- Public Gardens
Controlled Environment Agriculture
Celina Gómez
Mailing Address:
Celina Gómez
625 Agriculture Mall Dr
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Controlled Environment Agriculture
- Vertical farming
- Hydroponics,
- Vegetable gardening
- Indoor propagation
Dr. Wenjing Guan
Mailing Address:
Dr. Wenjing Guan
Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center
4369 N. Purdue Rd.
Vincennes, IN 47591
Area of Specialization: Commercial Vegetable and Melon Production & Vegetable Grafting
- Commercial fruit and vegetable production
- High tunnel
- Pest management
- Local food
- Urban farming
- Small farm
Dr. Cary Mitchell
Mailing Address:
Dr. Cary Mitchell
Purdue University
625 Agriculture Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Plant Physiology & Controlled Environment Agriculture
As a Departmental Ombudsperson, I am happy to engage with undergraduate students about anything, but especially about issues or events, personal or academic, that have adversely affected studies or ability to focus on academics. All interactions are confidential. Suggestions intended to be helpful may be made, but are not required, and are non-binding. Sometimes just having someone to talk to who will listen and who is supportive is enough!
Krishna Nemali
Mailing Address:
Krishna Nemali
625 Agriculture Mall Dr
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Area of Specialization: Develop new and affordable technologies that improve sustainability (i.e., reduce input waste, minimize environmental impact, and increase profits) in controlled environment agriculture.
- Controlled Environment Agriculture
- Hydroponics
- Indoor/Vertical Farming
- Home Hydroponics
- Nutritional Quality
- Food Safety
- Outreach and Engagement
- Greenhouse Production
- Protected Horticulture
- Automation and Sensors
- Digital Phenotyping
- Smart Sensors