Purdue agricultural biological engineering department ranked No. 1

The U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges announced today (Sept. 14) that Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Biological Engineering (ABE) is the top-ranked undergraduate department in its discipline for the 10th year in a row. Purdue’s graduate ABE program was ranked first by U.S. News and World Report in 2019 for the ninth time in 10 years.

Karen Plaut, Purdue’s Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, praised the department’s accomplishment.

“ABE has an extraordinary faculty who have been led by great leaders over the past decade.

Each year our ABE faculty garners honors for their innovations and accomplishments as they are joined by talented new faculty who further infuse the department with their energy and vision. This honor reflects their collective dedication to research, outreach and their students,” Plaut said.

“The Department of Agricultural Biological Engineering is an example of the exceptional

things that happen when agriculture and engineering come together,” said Mark Lundstrom, acting dean of engineering and the Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The department has a special status as a department in both the College of Agriculture and in the College of Engineering.

In Spring 2021, ABE will move into a new building, which has involved renovating its previous structure and extensive new construction. Nate Mosier, department head and Indiana Soybean Alliance chair in soybean utilization research, commented on what that new building represents to the future of his department.

“Our department’s faculty and students have outgrown an older and outdated building during years when we have been the top-ranked program in the country. We have demonstrated that our strength is truly in our people—our faculty and staff members and our undergraduate and graduate students. With our wonderful new building, I look forward to seeing what new goals we can accomplish together.”

Featured Stories

Yi-Kai Liu, W. Andy Tao, Zhoujun Luo, and Zheng Zhang stand in a row wearing white lab coats.
Protein modification discovery opens cancer therapy possibilities

A research team led by Purdue University’s W. Andy Tao has discovered of a new type of...

Read More
Experts examine trade, policy and economic trends in the 2026 Purdue Agricultural Economics Report outlook issue.
Experts examine trade, policy and economic trends in 2026 Purdue Agricultural Economics Report

Economic uncertainty, shifting trade policies and questions surrounding the future of the U.S....

Read More
Megan Broecker
Hands-on learning leads Megan Broecker to Animal Sciences

Megan Broecker finds her path in animal sciences through hands-on learning, research and leadership.

Read More
Chip biosensor
Purdue research team wants to harness AI to secure corn crops from pathogenic threats

Purdue research team wants to harness AI to secure corn crops from pathogenic threats

Read More
Dr. Michael O. Hunt with Dr. Carl Eckelman in 1967; Dr. Hunt (r) pictured with Dr. Carl Eckelman and Dr. Eva Haviarova at the FNR Professor Emeritus luncheon in 2024.
Tales From FNR with Professor Emeritus Michael O. Hunt

Dr. Michael O. Hunt came to West Lafayette in February 1960 as an assistant professor and...

Read More
Torbert Rocheford and Abebe Menkir hold some provitamin A corn at Purdue's Agronomy Center for Research and Education.
Global collaboration on provitamin A reaps reward

A 22-year collaboration between Purdue scientists and international colleagues has produced major...

Read More