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agInnovation North Central Member Directory By State

Updated: October 13, 2026

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Illinois: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station

​228 Mumford Hall

1301 West Gregory Drive

Urbana, Illinois 61801

Phone: 217-333-0240

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Germán Bollero, Dean, gbollero@illinois.edu

Assistant(s): Scheduling: Megan Davis, mbdavis3@illinois.edu; Julia Abel (backup), jabel@illinois.edu

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Rodney Johnson, Associate Dean for Research and AES Director, rwjohn@illinois.edu

Assistant(s): Lori Woodworth, lwoodwor@illinois.edu

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AES Reporting and NIMSS Contact: Amanda Lombardo, alombar@illinois.edu; Chris Lugardo, lugardo@illinois.edu

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Indiana: Purdue University, Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station

615 West State Street, AGAD 126

West Lafayette, IN   47907

Phone: (765) 494-8362

Fax: (765) 494-0808

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Bernard Engel, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture and Director of Agricultural Research and Graduate Education, engelb@purdue.edu

​Field: Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Assistant: Ranae Wetli, rjwetli@purdue.edu

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Ron Turco, AES Director, rturco@purdue.edu
Field: Soil Microbiology, Soil Ecology, Agronomy

Assistant: Rhonda Haan, rhaan@purdue.edu

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​Linda Lee, Assistant Dean, lslee@purdue.edu
Field: Agronomy
Assistant: Julie Estrada, estradaja@purdue.edu​

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NIMSS Contact: Julie Estrada, estradaja@purdue.edu​

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Iowa: Iowa State University, Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

138 Curtiss Hall, 513 Farm House Ln

Ames, IA   50011-1054

Phone: (515) 294-3830

Fax: (515) 294-5174    

 

Asheesh "Danny" Singh, Associate Dean for Research and Discovery and Associate AES Director, singhak@iastate.edu
Field: Agronomy - soybean breeding and artificial intelligence for crop breeding and production 

Assistant: Allegra Selzer, aselzer@iastate.edu

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Daniel Robison, Dean & AES Director (until July 31), robisond@iastate.edu

Field: Forestry, Entomology

Assistant: Alison Parker, aparker@iastate.edu

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Ruth McDonald, Acting Dean until July 31, then Interim Dean as of August 1, ruthmacd@iastate.edu

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​AES Administrators/Assistants: General contact for all, AES_Research@iastate.edu; Jordan Gillespie (AES Budget Contact), jbates@iastate.edu; Darwin Campbell (NIMSS Contact), darwin@iastate.edu; Ásrún Kristmundsdóttir, ayk@iastate.edu; Hannah Sappenfield, hsapp@iastate.edu

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Kansas: Kansas State University, Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station

114 Waters Hall

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS   66506-4004

Phone: (785) 532-7137

Fax: (785) 532-6563

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Dan Moser, Eldon Gideon Dean of the College of Agriculture, dmoser@ksu.edu

Field: Animal Science, Animal Genetics

Executive Assistant: Keli Yungeberg, keliy@ksu.edu; K-State AES Business Office (Reporting and NIMSS Contact), coa-ksrebusiness@ksu.edu

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Jane Schuh, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, College of Agriculture Director for Research (AES) - K-State Research and Extension, jmschuh@ksu.edu

Field: Cell and Molecular Biology

Assistant: Yuko Hendricks, yuko1@ksu.edu

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K-State AES Business Office (Reporting and NIMSS Contact), coa-ksrebusiness@ksu.edu

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Michigan: Michigan State University, MSU AgBioResearch

MSU AgBioResearch

109 Agriculture Hall

East Lansing, MI   48824

Phone: (517) 355-0123

Fax: (517) 353-5406

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Chad Cotti Interim Director, MSU AgBioResearch (effective August 1), cotticha@msu.edu

Assistant: Tammy Deppong, deppong1@msu.edu; and/or abr.director@msu.edu for scheduling

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Kang Xia, Associate Director and Associate Dean, MSU AgBioResearch, xiakang@msu.edu
Field: Soil Chemistry

Assistant: Tammy Deppong, deppong1@msu.edu; and/or abr.director@msu.edu for scheduling

 

James Averill, Assistant Director, MSU AgBioResearch, averillj@msu.edu

Field: Veterinary medicine, epidemiology, and public health

Assistant: Erin Papson, papsoner@msu.edu

Doug Buhler, Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation, buhler@msu.edu

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NIMSS, Budget, and Reporting Contacts:  Mary Weinzweig, weinzwem@msu.edu; Jackie Henning, jdesande@msu.edu

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Minnesota: University of Minnesota, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station

277 Coffey Hall

1420 Eckles Avenue

St. Paul, MN   55108-6026

Phone: (612) 626-7173

Fax: (612) 625-1260

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Linda Nagel, Interim Dean of CFANS and Interim Director of the MAES, lnagel@umn.edu

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​Greg Cuomo, Interim Associate Dean for MAES and Research and Outreach Centers, cuomogj@umn.edu (effective June 15)

 

Milena Saqui-Salces, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs for CFANS, msaquisa@umn.edu 

 

Assistant/AES Staff Contacts: NIMSS, NRS, REEport Contact: Emily Evans, umn-maes@umn.edu

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Missouri: University of Missouri, Agricultural Experiment Station

2-69 Agriculture Building

Columbia, MO   65211

Phone: (573) 882-7488

Fax: (573) 884-5435

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Christopher R. Daubert, Vice-Chancellor & Dean, daubertc@missouri.edu

Field: Ag Engineering & Food Science

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Shibu Jose, Senior Associate Dean & AES Director, JoseS@missouri.edu

Field: Ecological sustainability, agroforestry

Assistant (for scheduling): Sue Leutschaft, Leutschafts@missouri.edu​

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NIMSS Contact: Jeri Lou Zimmerman, zimmermanje@missouri.edu​

 

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Nebraska: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station 

Agricultural Research Division

207 Agricultural Hall

Lincoln, NE   68583

Phone: (402) 472-2045

 

​Tala Awada, Interim Dean & AES Director, tawada2@unl.edu
Field: Physiological Plant Ecology​

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Hector Santiago, Assistant Dean & Assistant Director, hsantiago@unl.edu

Field: Animal Science

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Scheduling assistants for Tala and Hector: (Lauren Kruger, lkruger4@unl.edu; Caitlyn Buschow, cbuschow2@unl.edu) 

NIMSS, NRS, and REEport Contact: Jennifer Fox, jmcmahon10@unl.edu​

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North Dakota: North Dakota State University, North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station

314 Morrill Hall

P. O. Box 6050

Fargo, ND   58108-6050

Phone: (701) 231-7660

 

Greg Lardy, Dean and AES Director; Vice President for Agricultural Affairs, Gregory.Lardy@ndsu.edu

Field: Animal Science, Cow-Calf Nutrition, Beef Cattle Management

Assistant: Janelle Quam (for scheduling with Dr. Lardy), Janelle.quam@ndsu.edu​

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Frank Casey, Associate AES Director, francis.casey@ndsu.edu

Field: Soil Science (Soil Physics) and Water Resources

Assistant and NIMSS Contact: Erin McCall, erin.mccall@ndsu.edu

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John McEvoy, Assistant Director of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, john.mcevoy@ndsu.edu

Field: Microbiological Sciences

 

NIMSS Contacts: Janelle Quam, Janelle.quam@ndsu.edu, Ona Vig, (NIMSS and AES reporting) Ona.Vig@ndsu.edu, Erin McCall, erin.mccall@ndsu.edu​

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Ohio: The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

 

​Jamie Strange, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education and Director, Ohio AES, strange.54@osu.edu

Field: Entomology/Bee Health and Genetics

Executive Assistant: Jada Harmon, Harmon.105@osu.edu

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Lingying Zhao, Professor and Associate Chair of Research, zhao.119@osu.edu

Field: Biosystems Engineering - Indoor air quality

Assistant: 

 

NIMSS, NRS, and REEport Contact: Branden Ritter, Ritter.1410@osu.edu

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South Dakota: South Dakota State University, South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station

SDSU SAG 135

Box 2207

Brookings, South Dakota 57007

Phone: (605) 688-4149

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John Blanton, AES Director and Associate Dean for SDSU Research in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, john.blanton@sdstate.edu

Field: Animal Science/Muscle Biology

 

Assistant: Melissa VandeWeerd (Reporting and NIMSS Contact), Melissa.VandeWeerd@sdstate.edu; Michelle Friedrich, Michelle.Friedrich@sdstate.edu

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Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station

1450 Linden Dr. 

Rm 140 Ag Hall

Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608) 262-4930

Fax: (608) 262-4556

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Troy Runge, Patrick Walsh & Noreen Warren Professor of Biological Systems Engineering, Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) and Interim Dean for Research and Extension - College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, trunge@wisc.edu 

Field: Biological Systems Engineering, Assistant: Tara Darga, tara.darga@wisc.edu

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Vatsan Raman, Interim Associate Dean for Research - College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, sraman4@wisc.edu

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Heather White, Associate Director, Wisconsin AES, heather.white@wisc.edu

Field: Dairy Science, Ruminant Nutritional Physiology

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Casey Hillmer, Assistant Director of Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station (NIMSS Contact), casey.hillmer@wisc.edu

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agNC's ARD (Association of Research Directors) 1890 Partner Institutions

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Central State University, John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture

1400 Brush Row Road

PO Box 1004

Wilberforce, Ohio 45384

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Arunasalam Rahunanthan, Interim Dean and Professor of Mathematics, John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture, arahunanthan@centralstate.edu

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​Shafi Rahman, Associate Research Director, Agricultural Research Development Programs, John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology & Agriculture, srahman@centralstate.edu

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Lincoln University of Missouri, Cooperative Research

112 Bennett Hall

824 Chestnut Street

Jefferson City, MO 65101

Phone: (573) 681-5552

Fax: (573) 681-5520

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Johnnie Westbrook, Dean, College of Agriculture, Environmental and Human Sciences and the Cooperative Research & Extension Service 

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​Tunsisa Hurisso, Associate Director of Research, College of Agriculture, Environmental and Human Sciences, HurissoT@lincolnu.edu​​

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