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Agricultural Sciences Faculty

Our faculty are a unique blend of researchers, educators and professionals who are proven experts in their fields.

Amer AbuGhazaleh, Professor

Animal Science

Dr. AbuGhazaleh has a PhD in dairy science from South Dakota State University. After completing his PhD, Dr. AbuGhazaleh worked as a research scientist in the Department of Animal Science at Clemson University, South Carolina.



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Amer AbuGhazaleh

Office Phone: 618-453-1767
aabugha@siu.edu
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 119

Kofi Akamani, Associate Professor

Forestry

Kofi Akamani is an Associate Professor of Forest Recreation and Conservation Social Science in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University. Akamani conducts research in rural communities in Ghana and the US in order to better understand and enhance the resilience of rural resource-dependent communities and the adaptive governance of forests, water resources, and agricultural landscapes in the face of climate change impacts and other change drivers.

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Kofi Akamani

Office: Agriculture Building, Room 194-B
Phone: 618-453-7464
k.akamani@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Ira Altman , Interim Director, School of Agricultural Sciences

Dr. Altman grew up on a mixed, grain and beef, farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. He attended the University of Saskatchewan and received a BA (Double Honors) in Economics and Political Science and an MSc in Agricultural Economics. He completed his Phd at the University of Missouri in Agricultural Economics in 2005. He is married with two sons.

SPECIAL INTERESTS

Dr. Altman specializes in many aspects of agribusiness economics but especially organizational economics and regional economics or rural development of emerging industries. His research includes the application of transaction cost economics, economic impacts and financial feasibility of developing industries such as bioenergy. 



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Ira Altman

Office: Agriculture Building 226-C
Phone: 618-453-2430
ialtman@siu.edu 

Gary Apgar, Professor

Animal Science

Dr. Apgar received his graduate degrees from Virginia Tech in ‘91 and ’94 in swine nutrition. 



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Gary Apgar

Office Phone: 618-453-1763
pigguy@siu.edu
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 125

Jebaraj Asirvatham, Associate Professor, Agriculture Economics

Dr. Jebaraj Asirvatham (Jeb) is Associate Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the Department of Agribusiness Economics.  He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics in 2011 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  Prior to joining SIU, Dr. Jeb worked as an Instructor and as a post-doctoral research associate in the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.  His primary research interests are Consumer Economics, Health Economics, and Nutrition and Health Behavior.  Currently, he is researching causal effects of school food environment and peers on childhood obesity.  He has received two international awards.

SPECIALTY/INTERESTS:

Influence of school food environment and social networks on health and nutritional outcomes.



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Jebaraj Asirvatham

Office: Agriculture Building 226-C
Phone: 618-453-1709
jebaraj@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae

William Banz, Professor

Animal Science

Dr. Banz's specialization is in Nutrition Physiology, focusing primarily on the relationship amongst the bioactive agricultural components of functional foods, health and gene-nutrient interaction. 



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William Banz

Office Phone: 618-453-2469
banz@siu.edu 
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 200

Jason Bond, Professor

Crop, Soil and Environmental Management

You can learn additional information about Dr. Bond's research, teaching and service: 



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Office: Public Policy Institute, Room 120
Phone: 618-453-4309 
jbond@siu.edu

Andrew Carver, Professor, Director of Engagement

Forestry, Horticulture, Environmental Resources and Policy

Dr. Carver is Professor of Conservation Planning and Sustainable Development and Director of Engagement for the College of Agricultural Sciences. Dr. Carver leads a globally recognized teaching and research program in international natural resource conservation and international development. His research informs policy decision making in Europe, North America, Central America and Central Asia. His outreach duties include building domestic and international partnerships for the SIU College of Agricultural Sciences.



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Andrew Carver

Office: Agriculture Building, Room 186-B
Phone: 618-453-7461
acarver@siu.edu

Ruplal Choudhary, Professor

Agricultural Systems and Education

Dr. Choudhary is a Food and Bioprocess Engineer with over 20 years of academic and industrial experience in design and development of food processing equipment and operations. Before moving to SIU, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Manitoba, and South Dakota State University.



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Ruplal Choudhary

Office: Agriculture Building, Room 158-C
Phone: 618-453-6985
choudhry@siu.edu

Jose Franco Da Cunha Leme Filho, Assistant Professor

Plant Biology, Horticulture, and Crop, Soil, and Environmental Management

Research:

Joint appointment in the School of Forestry and Horticulture and the School of Biological Sciences. The Cannabis Biology and Cultivation Systems lab focuses on areas of controlled environment agriculture, plant secondary metabolites, nutraceutical/pharmaceutical biology, and growing practices. 



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SIU Jose Franco Da Cunha Leme Filho Office: Agriculture Building 176 C
Phone: 618-453-2499
jose.leme@siu.edu

Ahmad Fakhoury, Professor

Crop, Soil and Environmental Management

Special Interests:

Plant pathology, fungal genetics, mycotoxins, plant-microbe interactions

Classes:

  • CSEM/PSAS 403A (Field Crops Diseases)
  • CSEM 300 (Field Crop Production)
  • CSEM/PSAS 455 (Biology of Plant Microbe Interactions)

Education:

  • Ph.D. Botany and Plant Pathology-Purdue University
  • M.Sc. Plant Protection- American University of Beirut
  • B.Sc. Agriculture- American University of Beirut


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Ahmad Fakhoury

Office: Public Policy Institute, Room 110
Phone: 618-453-1782
amfakhou@siu.edu

Karla Gage, Associate Professor

Crop, Soil and Environmental Management

Dr. Karla Gage is Assistant Professor of Weed Science and Plant Biology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she received her Ph.D. in Plant Biology with a focus in Weed Ecology in 2013. She holds a cross-appointment between the College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Soil and Agricultural Systems and the College of Science, Department of Plant Biology. She has experience working with weed management research, planning and control in agricultural, grassland, forest, and aquatic ecosystems.



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Karla Gage Office: Public Policy Institute, Room 108 
Phone: 618-453-7679 
kgage@siu.edu

Eduardo Gastal, Professor

Animal Science

Dr. Gastal’s current areas of research are ovarian folliculogenesis, reproductive physiology and endocrinology, assisted reproductive technologies, and reproductive ultrasonography with the primary goal of using the mare and the cow as research experimental models for comparative studies of ovarian function, obesity and aging in women.



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Eduardo Gastal

Office Phone: 618-453-1774
egastal@siu.edu 
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 129

John Groninger, Acting Associate Dean, Professor

Forestry

My students and I evaluate silvicultural and agroforestry approaches to achieving a variety of interrelated objectives, including watershed stabilization, fuelwood/biomass, timber, wildlife, recreation, and biodiversity ranging from rural to urbanized landscapes.

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John Groninger
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 194-E
Phone: 618-453-2469
groninge@siu.edu

Paul Henry, Associate Professor

Horticulture

Dr. Henry is a native Tennessean who received his BS. From Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) and his M.S. / Ph.D. degrees from North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC). He currently holds a full-time teaching appointment at SIU. He is enthusiastic about all plant-related things. Practical work experience has focused mainly on Ornamental Horticulture with positions in nursery / greenhouse production and the landscaping industry. He also has some experience working on golf courses.



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Paul H. Henry Office: Agriculture Building, Room 176-D
Phone:
 618-453-1783
phenry@siu.edu

Eric Holzmueller, Professor

Forestry

Eric Holzmueller joined the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University faculty as an Assistant Professor in August 2007.

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Eric Holzmueller
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 186-E
Phone: 618-453-3708
eholzmue@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae 

Karen Jones, Professor

Animal Science

Dr. Jones arrived at SIUC in 1999 after completing her doctoral training at Texas A and M University.



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Karen Jones

Office Phone: 618-453-2496
kljones@siu.edu 
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 178

Stella Kantartzi, Professor

Crop, Soil and Environmental Management

Dr. Stella K. Kantartzi joined the Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2008 and currently serves as Professor. She published more than 65 refereed manuscripts and six book chapters; edited one book; released five cultivars and seven germplasm lines; and awarded over $7 million in federal and state grants. She serves as an Editor or Associate Editor for high-ranking scientific journals.

 



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Stella Kantartzi Office: Public Policy Institute, Room 107
Phone: 618-453-1793
stella.kantartzi@siu.edu

Khalid Meksem, Professor

Crop, Soil and Environmental Management

Dr. Mek­sem joined the Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems at SIU as an Assistant Professor from 2000 to 2005, then as Associ­ate Professor from 2005 to 2008, and was promoted to full Professor in 2009. He published more than 60 refereed manuscripts, 3 book chapters; Dr. Meksem edited 3 books and was awarded 4 patents on his work on disease resistance genes in potato and soybean. He serves as an editor and ad hoc reviewer for a number of international scientific journals as well as for national, federal and international granting agencies.



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Khalid Meksem Office: Public Policy Institute, Room 115
Phone: 618-453-3103 
meksem@siu.edu 

Wanki Moon, Professor and Graduate Program Director, Agribusiness Economics

Wanki Moon has a Ph.D in Agricultural Economics from the University of Florida.  His research interests include global governance of agricultural trade, WTO trade rules, the global food system, political economy of agricultural trade negotiations, and multifunctionality of agriculture as a paradigm shaping a new order of global agriculture.

SPECIALTY AND INTERESTS

Dr. Moon’s research interests include a range of subject matter issues within the disciplines of agricultural economics, international political economy, and global governance of agricultural trade.



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Wanki Moon

Office: Agriculture Building 223-B
Phone: 618-453-6741
wmoon@siu.edu 

Jayakrishnan Nair, Assistant Professor

Animal Science

Dr. Jay specializes in beef cattle nutrition, forage production, and management. Research at Nair’s Lab focuses on expanding the understanding of nutrient utilization and metabolism of beef cattle, improving production efficiency, and reducing the environmental footprint of beef operations through sustainable beef production systems

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Jayakrishnan Nair Office Phone: 618-453-7105
jay.nair@siu.edu
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 115

 

Clay Nielsen, Professor

Forestry

Dr. Clay Nielsen is Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in the Department of Forestry and Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory at Southern Illinois University, where he received his Ph.D. in Zoology in 2001.

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Clay Nielsen
Office: Agriculture Building, 186 C

Logan Park, Associate Professor

Forestry

Logan O. Park is the Associate Professor of Forest Recreation and Park Management in the Forestry Department of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.



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Logan Park
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 194-D
Phone: 618-453-7476
logan.park@siu.edu

Brent Pease, Assistant Professor

Forestry

Dr. Brent Pease is an assistant professor of biodiversity conservation in the Forestry Program at Southern Illinois University. His research interests include ecology and conservation of wildlife, species distribution modeling, citizen science, applied spatial ecology, and landscape ecology.

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Brent Pease
Phone: 618-453-7474
bpease1@siu.edu
Location: Agriculture Building, Room 184
Curriculum Vitae

Seburn Pense, Professor

Agricultural Systems and Education

Dr. Pense is originally from Tacoma, Washington. After serving 4 years in the U.S. Navy, he completed his B.S. and Masters degrees in California at U.C. Davis.



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Seburn Pense

Office: Agriculture Building, Room 154-A
Phone: 618-453-2467
sebpense@siu.edu

Erin Perry, Associate Professor

Animal Science

Need bio



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Erin Perry

Office Phone: 618-453-1358
erin.perry@siu.edu
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 131

Charles Ruffner, Professor

Forestry

Charles M. Ruffner, Ph.D., specializes in old-growth forest ecology and fire history in his research and teaching, and is deeply engaged in service with professional and community groups at multiple scales.



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Charles Ruffner
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 194-C
Phone: 618-453-7469
ruffner@siu.edu 

Amir Sadeghpour, Associate Professor

Crop, Soil and Environmental Management

Dr. Amir Sadeghpour is an Assistant Professor of Soil Management and Integrated Cropping Systems in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.



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Amir Sadeghpour

Office: Agriculture Building, Room 176
Phone: (618) 453-1795
Email: amir.sadeghpour@siu.edu
Website: https://asadeghpour.com/

Dwight Sanders, Professor, Agribusiness Economics

Dwight Sanders is a Professor in Agribusiness Economics. His industry experience includes production agriculture (cow-calf operation), commodity futures brokerage, as well as key positions with The Pillsbury Company and Darden Restaurants, Inc.

SPECIAL INTERESTS

Forecasting; forecast evaluation; risk management; hedging; futures and options markets; speculative impacts on commodity prices; development of new futures contracts; analysis of new markets for agricultural products.



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Dwight Sanders

Office: Agriculture Building 226 E
Phone:
 618-453-1711
dwights@siu.edu 

Jon Schoonover, Professor

Forestry

Dr. Schoonover serves as Professor of Physical Hydrology and Soils in the Forestry Program at SIUC.



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Jon Schoonover
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 192-B
Phone: 618-453-7468
jschoon@siu.edu 

Steven Still, Assistant Professor

Agricultural Systems and Education

Dr. Still was born in Champaign, Il and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He completed his BS in agriculture with a minor in agriculture education at The Ohio State University before teaching high school agriculture for eight years in central Ohio, during which he earned his M.Ed.



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Steven Still

Office: Agriculture Building, Room 176
Phone: 618-453-2498
steven.still@siu.edu

Bradley Taylor, Associate Professor

Horticulture



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Bradley Taylor Office: Agriculture Building, Room 176-B
Phone:
 618-453-1781
hbtaylor@siu.edu

Alan Walters, Professor and Program Coordinator

Horticulture

Dr. Alan Walters is a Professor of Vegetable Science and Breeding in the School of Forestry and Horticulture at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. He is also a prestigious Fulbright Research Scholar.



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SIU Alan Walters

Office: Agriculture Building 178
Phone: 618-453-3446
awalters@siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Karl Williard, Professor and Faculty Coordinator

Forestry, Executive Director of The Universities Council on Water Resources

Karl W.J. Williard is a Professor of Forest Hydrology and Watershed Management in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU).



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Karl Williard
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 184-A
Phone: 618-453-7478
williard@siu.edu

Jim Zaczek, Professor

Forestry

As a Saluki Forestry alumnus, I strive to continue the quality educational opportunities imparted to me by my former SIU professors. 



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Jim Zaczek
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 186-B
Phone: 618-453-7465
zaczek@siu.edu
School of Agricultural Sciences | College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences | 618-453-1770 |