Dr. Cankui Zhang, Associate Professor of Agronomy, along with Jennifer Freeman (College of Health and Human Sciences) and Marxa Figueiredo (College of Veterinary Medicine), were recently appointed Showalter Faculty Scholars. This brings the number of funded Showalter scholars to 13 on the West Lafayette campus. The Showalter Trust also provided 12 early career faculty members with 2023 research grants.
The Ralph W. and Grace M. Showalter Research Trust annually provides funding to Purdue in support of scientific and medical research. In addition to selecting midcareer professionals as Showalter Faculty Scholars, in partnership with the University Faculty Scholars program, and providing one-year funding for early career professionals, the trust supports two Showalter Distinguished Professors at Purdue: Charles Bouman and Kinam Park.
Dr. Zhang works in plant physiology, and is currently working to explain the intricate functions of the phloem — plants’ circulatory and nervous systems. Dr. Zhang’s studies have led to the identification of key phloem-specific genes that play crucial roles in crop yield and plant response to stress. His goal is to bridge the gap between fundamental discoveries and practical agricultural improvements. He is studying soybean, rice, wheat, tomato, poplar tree, alfalfa and potato.
