Faculty News
Comings & Goings
Dr. Paul Raymer at his retirement party.
Raymer Retires
Dr. Paul Raymer retired after 40 years on the UGA faculty. Paul was a founding member of IPBGG, and was instrumental in establishing the plant breeding practicum course.
A native of Arkansas, he obtained his PhD in plant breeding from the University of Illinois, after which he got hired to run the state variety trials at UGA. From there he branched out as a canola breeder and a soybean extension specialist. Then, a turfgrass breeding position became available, and Paul stepped in to fill the role. He released Sea Isle Supreme' and 'Sea Star' paspalum , and has another one still making its way through the release process.
Welcome Akshaya Biswal
Dr. Akshaya Biswal joined the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus as a peanut breeder and geneticist in 2024. His research focuses on improving peanut yield, quality, and disease resistance to meet the evolving needs of the industry and the State of Georgia. Currently, he is developing high-yielding peanut varieties with strong resistance to stem rot, one of the most damaging peanut diseases in the southeastern United States. His research also includes genetic studies to understand the mechanisms of peanut resistance to root-knot nematodes and aflatoxin contamination caused by Aspergillus species. Additionally, he leads research efforts to establish a genotype-independent peanut transformation and genome editing system.
Before joining UGA, Akshaya was a Scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico, where he led wheat transformation and genome editing initiatives. Prior to that, he completed two postdoctoral fellowships—one at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, investigating rice G-protein-mediated cell signaling, and another at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, studying C4 photosynthesis. During his Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Rice Research in Hyderabad, he developed transgenic rice lines resistant to yellow stem borer and created molecular markers for hybrid seed purity screening.
Dr. Akshaya Biswal
Dr. Leal-Bertioli shown here holding her Faculty Research Excellence award.
Soraya Leal-Bertioli
Soraya Leal-Bertioli received one of UGA's Non-Tenure Track Faculty Research Excellence Awards for 2024.
This award recognizes exceptional research productivity and commitment to excellence by a non-tenure track faculty member. Recipients demonstrate an exceptional degree of research novelty and impact on their field of study in work done while at their UGA position.
Dr. William "Bill" Branch
William “Bill” Branch
Bill Branch was inducted to the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame for his legendary work in peanut breeding.
Throughout his tenure with the University of Georgia's breeding program, Branch spearheaded groundbreaking research aimed at combating the devastating effects of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) on peanut crops. His relentless efforts bore fruit with the development of resilient peanut varieties, including the game-changing Georgia Green and Georgia-06G. Branch's innovative approach not only bolstered farmer resilience but also enhanced consumer satisfaction by prioritizing flavor, nutrition, and shelling characteristics.
Dr. Parrot in his lab at the UGA campus in Athens.
Wayne Parrott
Dr. Parrott received the 2024 Mary Clutter Leadership in Science Public Service Award. This award is given annually by the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) to recognize individuals who have advanced the mission of ASPB and its members through significant contributions to plant science and public policy leadership.
Past award recipients include Senator Kit Bond, Gordon Conway, Norman Borlaug, William Danforth, Peter Raven, Bob Zeigler, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Howard Buffett. He is pictured here with Leeann Thornton, ASPB president.
Dr. Raymer cultivating turf samples in a greenhouse on the UGA Griffin campus.
Paul Raymer
Dr. Raymer was named a 2024 Senior Member of National Academy of Inventors (NAI). NAI Senior Members recognize faculty, scientists, and administrators for their ability to innovate and commercialize new technologies.
He is widely recognized as a leader in the field of seashore paspalum turfgrass breeding and research, and for his enhancement of multiple other crop types. Raymer has submitted 11 invention disclosures and is the inventor of record for four U.S. patents with several more in preparation. One seashore paspalum cultivar developed by Raymer, SeaStar, has been patented and licensed to five U.S. companies. His newest, SeaBreeze, was recently licensed to two companies in the U.S.
Dr. Donglin Zhang
Donglin Zhang
Dr. Donglin Zhang was named one of the eight American Society for Horticultural Science’s (ASHA) 2024 Fellows Cohort. ASHS Fellows are recognized for their outstanding contributions to horticulture, their leadership, and active involvement in the society.
Election as a Fellow of the Society is the highest honor that ASHS can bestow on its members, in recognition of truly outstanding contributions to horticulture and the Society.
Headlines
Creature Comforts Partners with UGA Wheat Breeder to Create 2024 Get Comfortable Brew
Wheat breeder Dr. Mohamed Mergoum made news recently when Creature Comforts, a local brewery, used one of his wheat varieties to brew “Get Comfortable,” a wheated IPA. The wheat variety, AGS4023, is adapted to grow in the Southeast’s humid climate.
Daniel Reingold (left), director of key partnerships with Creature Comforts Brewing Co., and CAES Professor Mohamed Mergoum participate in a blending lab to create this year's Get Comfortable Wheated IPA.
Grants
During 2024, IPBGG faculty received 48 grants totaling $5,085,539 in extramural funding that was processed through the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Not all multi-year grants are reflected in the total. Of these, those grants over $100,000 are listed below:
Dr. Nino Brown
Peanut oil production in Georgia: Assessing pathways to sustainable profitability – USDA-NIFA
Dr. Robin Buell
Multi-omics approaches to lower the barriers to sustainable production of plant natural products with relevance to human health – NIH
TRTech-PGR: Unlocking the genome diversity of bread wheat: Development of foundational genome sequences and resources to advance breeding and biotechnological improvement of a worldwide food security crop - Intl Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium
Dr. Zenglu Li
Enhancing and protecting soybean yield by fortifying defense against multiple diseases across different maturity group – United Soybean Board
Discovering and deploying genetic solutions across maturity groups for durable resistance to multiple nematodes – United Soybean Board
Dr. Peggy Ozias-Akins
Aflatoxin contamination Branch1/Branch 2 – subcontract from Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology
ApoSoy – Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
Dr. Wayne Parrott
PlantTransform: SMART Grass - Simplified Methods for Accessible and Rapid Transformation of the Grasses – NSF
Dr. Jason Wallace
Introgression of efficient aerial root nitrogen-fixation from tropical maize landraces into selected elite materials – subcontract from University of Wisconsin