Faculty research focuses

Faculty member	Research focus
Nina L. Bassuk Professor and Director of the Urban Horticulture Institute	Looking for tough trees to enrich urban landscapes and studying practices that can help them thrive. Developed CU Structural Soil.
Terence R. Bates Sr. Research Associate	Viticulture research and extension in Lake Erie region.
Taryn Bauerle Assistant Professor	Root biology.
Robin R. Bellinder Professor	Weed science. Exploratory research on existing and new herbicides to inform registration process. Cultivation, alternative cropping and mulch management to reduce herbicide use. Weed management in developing countries.
Thomas Björkman Associate Professor	Vegetable crop physiology, genetic role in flower development in broccoli, cover crops.
Mark P. Bridgen Professor and Director of the Long Island Horticulture Research & Extension Center, Riverhead, N.Y.	Breeding, propagating, and evaluating new ornamental plants using traditional and in vitro techniques.
Susan Brown Professor	Plant breeding to develop varieties with unique flavors, exceptional crispness, longer storage and shelf life, and resistance to disease and insect pests, using both traditional breeding and transgene technology,
Lori J. Bushway Senior Extension Associate	Engaging youth, educators, Citizen Scientists and others in garden-based learning programs. Outreach to commercial berry growers in berry crop culture.
Lailiang Cheng Associate Professor	Fruit crop physiology. Investigating carbon assimilation and metabolism, nutrition and stress physiology of fruit crops.
Laurie Drinkwater Associate Professor	Agroecology. Research focuses on soil organic matter dynamics, nutrient cycling and plant-microbial interactions.
Marcia Eames-Sheavly Senior Extension Associate	Using horticulture as an avenue to social, youth, and community development. Program leader for the youth garden-based learning program. Teaches The Art of Horticulture, and Integrating Horticulture with Youth Development.
Susheng Gan Associate Professor	Molecular biology. Researching the regulatory mechanisms of plant senescence to increase yields and enhance postharvest performance.
Phillip Griffiths Associate Professor	Breeding and genetics of Brassica and Phaseolus crops.
Donald E. Halseth Associate Professor	Evaluating production practices and varieties of potatoes and dry beans for disease and insect resistance and processing characteristics.
Gary E. Harman Professor	Biological control, development of nontoxic pesticides, environmental remediation, genomics and proteomics.
Stephen A. Hoying Senior Extension Associate	Tree fruit cultural practices in the Hudson Valley, including planting systems, rootstock and variety testing, fruit quality improvement and more.
Jenny Kao-Kniffin Assistant Professor	Weed science, urban ecology, rhizosphere biology.
Alan N. Lakso Professor	Fruit crop physiology and culture. Using new microsensors, GIS and remote sensing technologies, integration of genetic, environmental, and cultural factors with dynamic crop modeling, especially in relation to carbon footprints and climate change..
Timothy E. Martinson Senior Extension Associate	Viticulture Extension and applied research focuses on collaborative field research in commercial vineyards.
Neil Mattson Assistant Professor	Plant physiology and development in ornamental greenhouse crop production, including nutrient management strategies to reduce inputs and mitigate runoff from horticultural facilities.
Ian A. Merwin Professor	Fruit science and production systems. Orchard agroecology, integrated soil/weed management, biocontrol of soilborne fruit-tree diseases, alternative fruit crops, fermented cider apple varieties.
William B. Miller Professor	Floriculture & flower bulb physiology. Greenhouse production, postharvest physiology and landscape use of bulbous and perennial plants and flowers, as well as their carbohydrate metabolism, partitioning, and use of stored reserves.
Jane Mt. Pleasant Associate Professor and Director of Cornell's American Indian Program	Studying plants and human well-being and indigenous agricultural systems.
Kenneth W. Mudge Associate Professor	Plant propagation, medicinal herb production, agroforestry and forest farming, horticultural distance education.
A. Martin Petrovic Professor	Turfgrass science. Researching best management practices to reduce pesticide and fertilizer contamination of surface- and groundwater.
Marvin P. Pritts Professor & Chair	Researching ecological and cultural weed and pest control, season extension, and nutrient management in berry crops.
Donald A. Rakow Associate Professor and Elizabeth Newman Wilds Director of Cornell Plantations	Coordinating MPS program and undergraduate course in public garden management. Research interests include history of gardens and garden design, and relationship between people, nature, and horticulture.
Anu Rangarajan Associate Professor and Director of Cornell's Small Farm Program	Statewide specialist for Fresh Market Vegetable Production. Investigating sustainable production practices and developing alternative vegetable crops.
Stephen Reiners Associate Professor	Vegetable systems including best cultural methods -- fertility management, irrigation, optimizing plant populations, cover crops and variety selection.
Bruce Reisch Professor	Grape breeding and genetics to develop new wine and table grape varieties, as well as new grape breeding techniques.
Terence Robinson Professor	Orchard production systems and management, fruit tree physiology.
Frank S. Rossi Associate Professor	Cornell Turfgrass Team Leader. Developing environmentally sound practices for home lawns, athletic fields and golf courses.
Lawrence B. Smart Associate Professor	Breeding and genomics of willow bioenergy crops to produce high yields of woody biomass when grown as a dedicated short-rotation crop on marginal or underutilized land.
Alan Taylor Professor	Seed science and technology with emphasis is on post-harvest aspects of seed quality/dormancy, seed treatments and coating technologies.
Justine Vanden Heuvel Assistant Professor	Viticulture, including cultural practices and physiology affecting development of flavors and aromas in wine grapes, with a particular emphasis on production/degradation of these compounds in cool climates..
Chris B. Watkins Professor and Associate Director for Cornell Cooperative Extension	Fundamental and applied research and extension on fruit maturity, ripening, and storage, with emphasis on fruit responses to atmosphere, temperature and other factors that influence senescence and ripening.
Courtney Weber Associate Professor	Berry breeding and genetics, integrating new technologies with traditional breeding practices to improve disease and insect resistance and fruit quality, and identify varieties with phytochemicals beneficial to human health.
Thomas H. Whitlow Associate Professor	Studying physiological ecology of trees under stress, urban and restoration ecology, particulate filtration by trees, and novel low input crops.
H. Chris Wien Professor	Vegetable and flower physiology. Investigating physiological disorders and fruit set, reaction of cut flower species to environmental factors including daylength African horticulture.
David W. Wolfe Professor	Environmental physiology, soil and water management. Investigating plant stress, soil ecology, soil and water management, and policy issues related to climate change and agriculture.
Kenong Xu Assistant Professor	Tree fruit genomics, using tools of plant genomics to discover and characterize apple genes or gene networks controlling traits of horticultural and/or economic importance, such as growth and development, reaction to abiotic stress, and fruit shelf life and quality.