Graduate students

Committee Chair

Bala Subramanyam Sivarathri 

Bala Subramanyam is a PhD student in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at Mississippi State University. His research focuses on developing innovative strategies to enhance soybean adaptation to stressful environments. He utilizes advanced phenotyping methods and tools to characterize soybean accessions for traits related to yield potential. His work has identified deep-rooted genotypes that perform well in resource-limited conditions and effective seed enhancements techniques that improve stress tolerance. Outside of his academic work, Bala enjoys cooking and travelling.

Comfort Oladayo Adegbenro

Comfort Oladayo Adegbenro is a PhD student in Crop and Soil Sciences at the University of Georgia, where her research examines the effects of elevated nighttime temperature on cotton physiology, yield, seed quality, and seedling vigor, and applies hyperspectral sensing for early drought stress detection. She is honored to be part of the graduate student committee, and values the Societies for strong professional network, leadership development, and opportunities for service. Her experience as a SASES judge has been particularly meaningful, and looks forward to continued engagement.

Christopher Barron

Chris Barron is a graduate student at Purdue University pursuing a PhD in Plant Breeding. His research focuses on transformation systems in sorghum. Being involved in the Societies since his undergraduate degree has significantly increased his network and allowed him to meet and collaborate with students and professionals outside of his university.

Ruchita Bhattarai

Ruchita Bhattarai is a graduate researcher at Mississippi State University driven by a passion for crop simulation modeling to improve maize resilience under changing environment. Her research goal is to integrate field data and modeling to inform sustainable management decisions for farmers.

Varun Kumar Reddy Cheruku

C V Reddy is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University. His research focuses on improving nitrogen use efficiency in maize through Biological Nitrification Inhibition, integrating Plant Breeding and Agronomic approaches to reduce the negative environmental impacts and production costs associated with fertilizers. His involvement with societies has significantly shaped his career trajectory by strengthening his professional network, providing opportunities for leadership and broadening his perspective on emerging agricultural research.

Swas Kaushal

Originally from India, Swas Kaushal is a PhD candidate at South Dakota State University specializing in plant breeding, genetics, and digital phenotyping. Research integrates UAV-based high-throughput phenotyping, crop canopy traits, genomic selection, and machine and deep learning to improve prediction of complex traits in wheat breeding. Focused on developing scalable tools that enhance selection efficiency and support breeding decisions for healthier, resilient crop varieties. Passionate about solving real-world agricultural problems and creating clear visual illustrations that simplify complex science.

Pradeep Kumar

Pradeep Kumar is a Ph.D. student at Texas Tech University focusing on genomic prediction to improve drought tolerance in sorghum. A long time member of the Societies, he has benefited from Graduate Student Leadership Conference, mentoring programs, and networking opportunities. These Societies have strengthened his leadership, expanded his professional network, and supported his career development in plant breeding and crop improvement.

Austen Lambert

Austen is a PhD student in Earth System Science at Stanford University. He holds a BS in Environmental Science and an MS in Geology from Brigham Young University. His research explores the interplay between climate extremes and elemental cycles in soil ecosystems, with a focus on how wildfires impact heavy metal cycling and forest soil health. A longtime member of the Societies and a former Golden Opportunity Scholar, Austen values the connections and network the Societies have provided since his undergraduate years.

Duncan Lloyd McSorley

Duncan McSorley is a Master of Science student at Auburn University in the Department of Animal Sciences. His research is in forage agronomy and pasture management with specific focus in ruminant livestock nutrition and grazing systems. He was involved with the Societies during his undergraduate years as a SASES National Officer and have already had the opportunity to make many career and life-long connections through the organization.

Kasun Pathirage

Kasun Pathirage is a PhD student in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University. Her research focuses on enhanced weathering through rock powder applications to support carbon sequestration and climate-smart agriculture. Her involvement in professional scientific societies has strengthened her commitment to academic collaboration, leadership, and professional development while shaping her dedication to advancing sustainable soil and agricultural systems.

Gustavo Roa

Gustavo Roa is a Ph.D. candidate in Agronomy at Kansas State University, focusing on soil fertility and nutrient management. Originally from Paraguay, he holds a degree from EARTH University. His research explores phosphorus and sulfur management, including P correlation-calibration, residual P effects, long-term P placement, and P & S interactions. He has an interest in apply statistics and data analysis to improve agricultural decision-making and fertilizer recommendations. He values professional societies for their role in networking, leadership, and advancing sustainable agriculture.

Ravi Teja Seelam

Ravi Teja Seelam is a graduate student at the University of Georgia, researching drought tolerance mechanisms in warm-season turfgrasses using transcriptomics and metabolomics. His work focuses on identifying key stress-responsive genes, metabolic pathways, and hormonal interactions that contribute to drought resilience. By integrating physiological and molecular data, he aims to understand the stress tolerance mechanisms in turfgrass species. The Societies have provided valuable opportunities to present his research, connect with peers, and engage in professional development.

Akashdeep Singh

Akashdeep Singh is a PhD student at Penn State University developing site‑specific weed management strategies that integrate remote sensing, AI, and precision application technologies. He earned his BS in Agriculture from Punjab Agricultural University and an MS in Weed Science from Auburn University, where he studied weed biology, ecology, dispersal, herbicide resistance, and soil weed seedbanks. His research focuses on mapping herbicide‑resistant weeds to enable targeted, sustainable interventions.

Jessica Bezerra de Oliveira

Originally from the Midwest of Brazil, Jessica is a Ph.D. student in the Agronomy and Soil Science program at Kansas State University in the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab. Jessica received her B.S. degree in Agronomy from the Federal University of Mato Grosso and her M.S. degree in Agronomy/Plant Nutrition from the University of Sao Paulo and the University of Queensland, in Australia. Currently, her research focuses on Nitrous Oxide emissions (N2Oand Nitrogen Use Efficiency in wheat rainfed cropping system. Being part of the societies has allowed me to build valuable connections and develop

Mumtahina Riza

Mumtahina Riza is a Trustees Doctoral Fellow and a PhD Candidate in Integrative and Conservation Biology at the University of Central Florida. She earned her MS in Biology from North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on soil carbon stabilization, particularly mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) formation in organic-rich soils of Florida’s Everglades Agricultural Area. Riza serves as a Grad Student Representative on the Board of the SSSA. The Societies have developed her leadership, expanded the professional network, and strengthened the impact of her work in soil science.