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    Plant Science Major

    Plant Science Major

    UF/IFAS faculty with students. UF/IFAS photo

    Faculty Mentors

    Mentoring is a key tool for academic success! Students will meet with Dr. Liebowitz during their first semester to explore their interests, and during that conversation, we’ll match you with a Faculty Mentor with similar interests. If your spark takes a new turn during your journey, we can chat about finding you a new match!:

    • Step 1: Fill out this Brainstorming Tool
    • Step 2: Meet with Dr. Liebowitz to explore your spark and find a mentoring fit! (She will reach out to you when you join the program)
    • Step 3: Meet your match, and you’re off and running…

    You’ll meet your faculty mentors at least once a semester for advice and guidance on:

    • Course electives
    • Scholarships
    • Professional societies and clubs
    • Internship opportunities
    • Capstone project idea development
    • Professional experience in research, teaching, and extension
    • Career or graduate school brainstorms
    Carrie Adams

    Carrie Adams

    Associate Professor
    Department: Environmental Horticulture

    Topics: Restoration and Plant Ecology
    (352)273-4502

     
     
     
     
     
    Erin Alvarez

    Erin Alvarez

    Lecturer
    Department: Environmental Horticulture

    Topics: landscape management, public horticulture, professional development
    (352)294-1582

     
     
     
     
     
    Ali Babar

    Ali Babar

    Associate Professor
    Department: Agronomy

    Topics: world food crops breeding, plant breeding & molecular genetics
    (352)273-2213

     
     
     
     
     
    Kelly Balmant

    Kelly Balmant

    Assistant Professor
    Department: Horticultural Sciences


    (352) 294-7546

     
     
     
     
     
    Liliana M. Cano

    Liliana M. Cano

    Assistant Professor
    Department: Plant Pathology / IRREC

    Topic: plant pathology, pathogen effector biology, pathogen evolution
    (772) 468-3922

     
     
     
     
     
    Zhanao Deng

    Zhanao Deng

    Professor
    Department: Environmental Horticulture / GCREC

    Topics: breeding, genetics, genomics, genome editing, biotechnology
    (813) 419-6605

     
     
     
     
     
    Jose C. B. Dubeux Jr.

    Jose C. B. Dubeux Jr.

    Professor & Associate Chair
    Department: Agronomy / NFREC

    Topics: grassland, ecosystem services, livestock, crop-livestock systems
    (850) 526-1618

     
     
     
     
     
    Heather Enloe

    Heather Enloe

    Lecturer of Water Science
    Department: Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

    Topics: Soil and water systems
    (352)294-3139

     
     
     
     
     
    Jeb Fields

    Jeb Fields

    Assistant Professor
    Department: Environmental Horticulture

    Topics: Nursery Crops
    (352)273-4574

     
     
     
     
     
    Evelyn "Prissy" Fletcher

    Evelyn "Prissy" Fletcher

    Lecturer of Ecosystem Science
    Department: Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences

    Topics: soil nutrient management and emerging crop assessments
    (352)294-3147

     
     
     
     
     
    William M. Hammond

    William M. Hammond

    Assistant Professor
    Department: Agronomy

    Topics: plant ecophysiology, plant mortality, climate change impacts
    (352) 294-3792

     
     
     
     
     
    Alfred Huo

    Alfred Huo

    Assistant Professor

    Department: Environmental Horticulture / MREC
    (407) 410-6954

     
     
     
     
     
    Jeongim Kim

    Jeongim Kim

    Assistant Professor
    Department: Horticultural Sciences

    Topics: Plant secondary metabolism and hormones, Metabolic engineering
    (352) 273-4779

     
     
     
     
     
    Ryan Klein

    Ryan Klein

    Assistant Professor
    Department: Environmental Horticulture

    Topics: arboriculture, tree risk assessment, trees and hurricanes
    (352) 273-4519

     
     
     
     
     
    Rosalie Koenig

    Rosalie Koenig

    Assistant Professor
    Department: Agronomy & Center for Stress Resilient Ag.

    Topics: agroecology, organic agriculture, international agriculture development
    352-273-3495

     
     
     
     
     
    Jason Kruse

    Jason Kruse

    Associate Professor
    Department: Environmental Horticulture

    Topics: turfgrass, landscape, general plant science, soils
    (352) 273-4569

     
     
     
     
     
    Tie Liu

    Tie Liu

    Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Advisor
    Dept: Horticultural Sciences

    Topics: Postharvest Genomics, Potato Tuber Dormancy, Stress Biology
    (352) 846-2638

     
     
     
     
     
    Greg MacDonald

    Greg MacDonald

    Professor and Undergraduate Advisor
    Department: Agronomy Department

    Topics: weed science and crop production
    (352) 294-1594

     
     
     
     
     
    Kimberly A. Moore

    Kimberly A. Moore

    Professor and Assoc. Center Director for FLREC
    Dep: Environmental Horticulture

    Topics: plant nutrition, organic chemistry, alternative growing substrates
    (954) 577-6328

     
     
     
     
     
    Swathi Nadakuduti

    Swathi Nadakuduti

    Assistant Professor
    Department: Environmental Horticulture

    Topics: Plant biochemistry and biotechnology, Gene-editing and Biochemistry`````
    (352) 273-4575

     
     
     
     
     
    Gerardo Nunez

    Gerardo Nunez

    Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Advisor
    Dept: Horticultural Sciences

    Topics: plant physiology, berry crops, graduate school
    (352) 273-4765

     
     
     
     
     
    Ahmad A. Omar

    Ahmad A. Omar

    Research Assistant Scientist
    Department: Horticultural Sciences / CREC

    Topics: molecular biology and biotechnology techniques
    (863) 956-8678

     
     
     
     
     
    Bala Rathinasabapathi

    Bala Rathinasabapathi

    Professor and Undergraduate Advisor
    Department: Horticultural Sciences

    Topics: horticultural sciences, genetics, plant breeding and genomics
    (352) 273-4847

     
     
     
     
     
    Esteban Rios

    Esteban Rios

    Associate Professor
    Department: Agronomy

    Topics: Forage Breeding and Genetics
    (352)392-6189

     
     
     
     
     
    Brantlee Spakes-Richter

    Brantlee Spakes-Richter

    Assistant Professor
    Department: Plant Pathology

    Topics: teaching & science communication, ind. experience, new disease research
    (352) 273-2014

     
     
     
     
     
    Edzard van Santen

    Edzard van Santen

    Professor
    Department: Agronomy

    Topics: agronomy, biostatistics
    (352)392-3067

     
     
     
     
     
    Steven Sargent

    Steven Sargent

    Professor and Associate Chair
    Department: Horticultural Sciences

    Topics: quality and technology of fresh fruits and vegetables
    (352) 273-4780

     
     
     
     
     
    Matt Smith

    Matt Smith

    Professor
    Department: Plant Pathology

    Topics: Fungal Evolution, Ecology and Systematics
    (352) 273-2837

     
     
     
     
     
    Danielle Treadwell

    Danielle Treadwell

    Associate Professor
    Department: Horticultural Sciences

    Topics: state extension specialist organic/sustainable specialty crops
    (352) 273-4775

     
     
     
     
     
    Marcelo Wallau

    Marcelo Wallau

    Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist
    Department: Agronomy

    Topics: forage management, grazing, diffusion and implementation of technology
    (352) 273-2216

     
     
     
     
     
    Wagner Vendrame

    Wagner Vendrame

    Professor and Interim Chair
    Department: Environmental Horticulture

    Topics: Ornamental Micropropagation and Cryopreservation
    (352) 273-4500

     
     
     
     
     
    Catalin Voiniciuc

    Catalin Voiniciuc

    Associate Professor
    Department: Horticultural Sciences

    Topics: plant synthetic biology, cell wall polysaccharides
    (352) 273-4782

     
     
     
     
     
    Jianping Wang

    Jianping Wang

    Associate Professor
    Department: Agronomy

    Topics: plant genetics and genomics, Molecular biology
    (352) 392-1864

     
     
     
     
     
    Tom Yeager

    Tom Yeager

    Professor Emeritus
    Department: Environmental Horticulture

    Topics: Landscapes and Nursery Production

     
     
     
     
     
    Xin Zhao

    Xin Zhao

    Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator
    Department: Horticultural Sciences

    Topics: organic and sustainable vegetable cropping systems, vegetable grafting
    (352) 273-4773

     
     
     
     
     
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    (352) 273-4573

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