People

Jessica Abi Saab is a master’s student enrolled in a dual degree program in Sustainable Agriculture and Crop and Soil Sciences, a collaborative initiative between the University of Padova in Italy and the University of Georgia in the United States. She completed the first year of her program in Italy, where she focused on sustainable agricultural systems, before transitioning to the University of Georgia to pursue her research in plant physiology. Her current research investigates strategies to improve flooding tolerance in Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) by employing a two-pronged approach: modulating ethylene signaling pathways and evaluating hybrid cultivars for inherent tolerance to waterlogged conditions. Through this work, she aims to support the development of resilient turfgrass systems capable of withstanding increasingly variable environmental stresses. Originally from the mountainous regions of Lebanon, Jessica’s passion for agriculture was cultivated early on through her family’s deep connection to farming. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Life and Earth Sciences from the Lebanese University, where her academic journey laid the groundwork for her growing interest in plant-environment interactions and stress physiology.

Manveer Singh is a Ph.D. student in the Turfgrass Physiology Lab at the University of Georgia, Griffin campus. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Punjab Agricultural University, India, in 2021, and completed his Master’s in Horticulture at Oklahoma State University, USA in 2024. His current research focuses on UAV-Based Remote Sensing Applications for Precision Irrigation and Early Drought Stress Detection in Turfgrass Management. 

Kumar Vaibhav is a graduate student (Master’s) at the University of Georgia working in precision agriculture and turfgrass management. His current research focuses on site-specific irrigation management in Bermudagrass using UAV-acquired imagery. He integrates sensor data with soil moisture measurements and plant physiological responses to identify optimal vegetation indices for estimating plant water status. Kumar holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), India.

RaviTeja Seelam is a graduate research student in the turf grass physiology lab of Dr. David Jespersen at the University of Georgia, Griffin campus. He started his Ph.D. program in crop and soil science in the fall of 2022. He completed his B.Sc. (Hons) Agriculture in 2020 (ANGRAU, Rajahmundry Campus) and graduated with a Master’s in Genetics and Plant Breeding in 2022 (ANGRAU- Bapatla Campus) India. In his Master’s he worked on Molecular Characterization of Genotypes for Thermotolerance in Rice. With his continuous curiosity towards the abiotic stresses in crop species, His doctoral program aims at elucidating drought stress genetic mechanisms, crop improvement strategies along with other molecular pathways in turf grass drought tolerance.

Ravneet started her M.S. program in UGA griffin campus in 2020 Spring. She got her bachelor’s degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Punjab Agricultural University, India in 2019. Her research works comprised of studying drought performance in zoysiagrass species including some established cultivars like Empire, Meyer, Palisades, and experimental breeding lines from Tifton. She analyzed morpho-physiological differences in grass species to establish a correlation in their drought performance during extended dry down periods. Ravneet defended in 2022. She now works as a research associate at Living Carbon.