Associate professor of soil science cultivates healthier soils and future scientists through research and mentorship
Can you describe your educational and career journey and how it led to your arrival at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture?
I was born and raised in an agricultural community in Kerala—a beautiful state on the southwestern coast of India, known for coconut trees and a network of rivers and backwaters. Surrounded by fragmented farmlands and farming traditions, I developed an early interest in agriculture, which led me to pursue a BS in Agricultural Sciences and MS in Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry at Kerala Agricultural University. After graduation, I served the state of Kerala for four years as an Extension Specialist and Soil Survey Officer, working directly with farmers and communities to improve land use and agricultural practices.
In 2003, my journey took a transformative turn when I was awarded the prestigious Ford Foundation International Fellowship. This opportunity brought me to The Ohio State University (OSU), where I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Rattan Lal, a globally known soil scientist and recipient of the 2020 World Food Prize. Under his mentorship, I completed both my MS and PhD in Soil Carbon Science, deepening my commitment to sustainable soil and environmental management.
Following my PhD, I continued at OSU as a postdoctoral researcher under Dr. Warren Dick, and later joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a postdoc, where I worked with Drs. Melanie Mayes and Terry Hazen. In 2016, I joined the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science as a tenure-track assistant professor. In 2022, I was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor.
What inspired you to pursue a career in soil science?
My state of Kerala is blessed with two long and generous rainy seasons. While these heavy pours are a joy for many, it was disruptive for my family because my father was a construction worker who faced serious unemployment during these seasons when outdoor work is challenging. To make ends meet, my mother maintained a home garden. The yams and cassava from her garden were a stable food supply for us during that time.
I was always amazed by my mother’s skills in maintaining soil fertility by adding wood ashes and turning in some green manure crops and maximizing yields from her small garden. These early lessons in soil amendments and sustainable agricultural practices inspired me to pursue my studies in the agricultural sciences with a concentration in soil science. For my master’s thesis in India, I conducted field research in banana farms, investigating the optimal level of potassium fertilization. This hands-on, on-farm research taught me a critical lesson: solutions to agricultural challenges must be grounded in the realities that farmers face and that improving soil health is the solution to many of those challenges.
What is your main research focus and why is it important?
My research focuses on understanding ways to improve soil health in agroecosystems. Although agricultural lands are thriving to produce sufficient food to meet the demand of the growing world population, these lands are also forced to use synthetic inputs prudently and to adopt conservation agriculture principles to curb the deterioration of soil, water, and environmental quality. This challenge is compounded by the potentially adverse impact of extreme changes in weather patterns on agricultural soils. Building soil health is the most meaningful and cost-effective way to balance agricultural productivity, environmental stewardship, and cropping system resilience.
When I began working in this area, I realized that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to building healthy agricultural soils. We need to develop regionally adaptable approaches that are also acceptable to farmers. For example, one popular and effective approach to building soil health is no-tillage. However, 80% of the cropland area in Tennessee is under no-tillage, yet improvement in soil health in this region and the entire southeastern US is slim, largely attributed to warm and humid climatic conditions combined with frequent and intense drought and rainfall events. I have been working on promoting other aspirational and regenerative management approaches, such as multi-species cover cropping, organic soil amendments, adaptive grazing, and organic farming, in this region. This involves disseminating data-driven information to help farmers understand the cumulative benefits of adopting multiple sustainable soil management practices.
How does your work in soil health connect to the broader picture of improving food systems and human health?
I chose to focus my research on soil health because of its direct and intimate connection to food security, nutritional quality, environmental sustainability, and potentially even human health. Healthy soils are fundamental to sustainable food production as they reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers, minimize nutrient and carbon losses from farms, and can help improve farmers’ revenues. Some also suggest a direct link between soil health and human health. While this is not my area of expertise, I see no reason to doubt that such a connection could exist, given how healthy soils could support nutrient-dense crops and help improve water and air quality.
What has been your proudest moment while working in the UT Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science?
One of my proudest moments was receiving the Mid-Career Faculty Research Excellence Award from UTIA AgResearch in 2023, just seven years after joining the institution. The award is open to faculty with up to 15 years of service, so it was both a surprise and an honor to receive it with the least required years of service. Recognitions like this motivate me to keep pushing myself and to continue contributing to UTIA’s mission of delivering Real. Life. Solutions.
What do you enjoy most about the work you do?
One of the aspects I enjoy most about my work is the opportunity to provide guidance to students and early-career professionals and support them in their professional development. It is incredibly rewarding to help them navigate their career paths and celebrate their growth and achievements along the way. Watching them progress, gain confidence, and reach their goals is one of the most fulfilling parts of what I do. Additionally, I am a naturally well-organized person, and my job provides numerous opportunities to utilize this strength. Whether it is planning for proposal preparations, managing current projects, or mentoring students, I take pride in bringing structure and efficiency to my work and in seeing its positive outcomes.
What is one thing you wish more people understood about soil science?
Soil is the foundation of most other disciplines within agricultural sciences. It is the medium through which plants obtain water and nutrients, the habitat for countless organisms, the filter of pollutants, and the regulator of carbon, nutrient, and water cycles. Whether we are studying agronomy, plant physiology, pest-disease-weed management, animal health, or agricultural engineering, all these fields rely heavily on soil. Soil also supports buildings, roads, and other infrastructure – understanding its physical properties is essential for safe and sustainable engineering and construction practices. So, I wish more people recognized the vital importance of preserving healthy soils, instead of taking them for granted as an endless resource that will continue to support agriculture, ecosystems, and human life regardless of how we treat them.
What advancements in soil science are you most excited about right now, and how do you see them shaping the future of agriculture?
I am particularly excited about the growing momentum on carbon farming and the development of carbon credit markets. These innovations create opportunities for farmers to receive financial incentives for adopting improved farming practices that increase carbon sequestration and enhance soil health. However, robust and standardized methods for measuring and verifying soil carbon changes are essential to ensure transparency and consistency across different farming systems. Building farmers’ trust in these programs is equally critical, especially given the technical complexity and long timeline often associated with soil carbon accumulation. Addressing these challenges requires interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists, farmers, and policymakers. If implemented thoughtfully and supported by science, carbon credit markets have the potential to provide additional income to farmers from their working lands.
You’ve mentored many graduate students, postdocs and research interns over the years. What’s your approach to mentorship, and what do you find most rewarding about it?
Yes, I have had the privilege of mentoring a diverse group of scholars, including four PhD and seven MS graduates. Currently, I am advising two PhD and two MS students, along with mentoring three postdoctoral researchers and one research scientist. Over the years, I have also guided three former postdocs, as well as several research associates and undergraduate interns.
My mentoring philosophy centers on cultivating independent research skills in my mentees through a supportive, step-by-step process. I meet with each mentee on a weekly or biweekly basis, not only to discuss research progress but also to engage in conversations about their professional development, career goals, volunteer work, and work-life balance. These individual meetings are complemented by biweekly group sessions, which foster collaboration within the team, encourage critical scientific discussions, and offer regular opportunities to practice and refine presentation skills. I am committed to helping my mentees build strong professional networks by encouraging and supporting their participation in professional conferences. I nominate my mentees, including undergraduate interns, for regional and national awards. One of my past undergraduate interns, for example, was recognized as an American Society of Agronomy’s Golden Opportunity Scholar and published a first-author research paper in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
The most fulfilling aspect of mentoring is seeing my mentees thrive in their careers. Three of my former mentees are now Assistant Professors, and the other two grabbed industry jobs. It is deeply rewarding to collaborate with them now as professional peers. Watching them succeed gives me joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment.
What do you like to do outside of work and/or what is a fun fact about yourself that your colleagues and students wouldn’t know?
Outside of work, I enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends. While I deeply value connection and socialization, the fun fact is that I am naturally quite introverted – something that may come as a surprise to my colleagues and students.
