People

I joined the Controlled Environment Agriculture team in 2023 as a plant breeder after serving as a Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at the University of New Hampshire. Prior to working as a lecturer and finishing my PhD, I completed my MS in Horticulture at UGA and worked extensively on farms in both North Carolina and Costa Rica. My goal is to develop cultivars of specialty crops suitable for production in controlled environments like greenhouses, high tunnels, and indoor vertical farming operations. I am starting with following up on previous work in Cucurbit breeding in crops like melon and summer squash while pursuing other crops based on industry interest and demand. Through my Extension appointment I seek to assist the CEA industry here in Georgia and beyond.

Education
B.A. Anthropology and Environmental Studies, UNC Chapel Hill, 1998
M.S. Horticulture, University of Georgia, 2009
Ph.D. Agricultural Science, University of New Hampshire, 2021

Google Scholar

I completed my BS degree in 2015 with a major in Agricultural Sciences from Tribhuwan University in Nepal. I moved on to the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru, India to get my MS degree in Plant Pathology (2016-2018). My MS research was focused on identifying the host range of whitefly-transmitted begomoviruses in and around leguminous cropping systems. Then I joined Dr. Srinivasan’s lab in 2019 at UGA Griffin Campus and completed my PhD in Entomology in 2024, where my research focused on understanding host-virus-vector tripartite interactions at macro- and micro-level. My research focused on understanding the response of host plants upon virus infection and insect feeding using greenhouse experiments and gene expression studies using bioinformatic tools. I also studied the effect of virus acquisition from different source plants on insect vectors.

After my PhD, I joined CEA breeding lab under the supervision of Dr. Ogden as a Postdoctoral Research Associate, where my research is focused on breeding program of crops important for CEA industry in Georgia. My primary research area will be concentrated on breeding cucurbit crops for the resistance to powdery mildew, breeding for the horticultural traits in summer squash and melon, breeding for the fruit quality in dwarf tomatoes, and identification of pathways triggered upon TYLCV infection in six resistant tomato lines associated with six resistant genes (Ty 1-6).

Google Scholar

Josiah James

Josiah James brings extensive experience in sustainable agriculture and operations management to the UGA CEA Breeding Program. His background includes managing outdoor cultivation operations, ensuring regulatory compliance and quality control, and utilizing inventory management systems. Furthermore, his expertise extends to department management, optimizing freight operations, and warehouse management, demonstrating a strong skillset in logistics and efficiency. His experience in organic farming and permaculture design, coupled with his certifications in OSHA safety protocols and project management, makes him a valuable asset to the program’s research and development efforts.