Center Spotlights

CALS Research Monthly

Meet the new CALS faculty

CALS recently brought in 21 new faculty members, working both on campus and at the 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers spread throughout the commonwealth. With varied expertise, they bring dedication to current and emerging issues in agriculture and life sciences.

Timothy Bryant

Assistant professor of entomology and Extension specialist

Working in agronomic crops entomology at Tidewater AREC, Bryant’s HATCH project develops sustainable pest management strategies for cotton profitability.

Carrie Ortel

Assistant professor and Extension soybean agronomist

Focused on soybean variety testing and nutrient management, Ortel works at Tidewater AREC. Partnering with stakeholders to understand needs, she manages the Soybean Variety Selection Tool, which helps identify high-performing cultivars tailored to local conditions.

Shourish Chakravarty

Assistant professor of applied agricultural economics

Out of Southern Piedmont AREC, Chakravarty’s work applies economic tools to deliver insights on agricultural productivity, profitability, and sustainability.

Joshua Mott

Assistant professor in plant and environmental sciences

Based at Southern Piedmont AREC, Mott focuses on agronomic and horticultural cropping systems and organic production, supporting practical tools and guidance for farmers.

Kristopher Criscione

Assistant professor and nursery production specialist

Criscione works at Hampton Roads AREC, and explores how containerized ornamental plant roots grow and develop to optimize growth and improve production efficiency.

Mengyi Dong

Assistant professor in food science and technology and Extension specialist

At Virginia Seafood AREC, Dong develops molecular tools and data-driven controls to reduce pathogen and spoilage risks to keep seafood and aquaculture safe and high-quality.

Kemper Sutton

Assistant professor in entomology and Extension specialist

At Eastern Shore AREC, Sutton investigates integrated pest management solutions for vegetable and row crops growers.

Drew Harner

Assistant professor in plant and environmental sciences and Extension viticulturist

At Alson H. Smith, Jr. AREC, Harner integrates approaches in the field and the lab to understand how fruit and grapevines respond to the vineyard ecosystem.

Demi Perry

Assistant professor in food science and technology and Extension specialist

Based at Alson H. Smith, Jr. AREC, Perry seeks to advance quality and sustainability within the Virginia wine industry, providing analytical expertise to characterize wine profiles.

Stacy Endriss

Assistant professor of invasive species in entomology

With an eco-evolutionary perspective, Endriss investigates the intersection of plants and insects, especially invasive plants, to better understand and implement biocontrol.

Tatiane Fernandes

Assistant professor of animal sciences

Fernandes integrates metabolism trials, stable isotope techniques, and rumen microbial research to understand nutrient utilization and advance the sustainability of livestock production.

Soumi Ghosh

Assistant professor of biochemistry

Ghosh tracks changes in the sugar coatings of viral proteins using tools made from the body's sugar-binding proteins to study impacts to viral spread between species.

Shilai Hao

Assistant professor in plant and environmental sciences

Hao’s research focuses on emerging contaminants in agricultural environments, such as PFAS. Using advanced analytical techniques, Hao investigates their fate and transport and develops innovative remediation strategies to mitigate their environmental impact.