President – Doug Cattani
Doug received his BSAg (Plant Science) and MSc. (Plant Breeding) from the University of Manitoba and his PhD. from Wageningen University, The Netherlands, (Plant Production Ecology). He has worked primarily with herbaceous perennials for four decades with emphasis on breeding, perennial grass plant development and seed production. His current position is as an Associate Professor focussing on Perennial Crop Breeding and Agronomy in the Department of Plant Science at the University of Manitoba, where he is currently Department Head. He has worked in industry, government and academia at various times in his career in Canada and the United States, accepting his current position at the University of Manitoba in 2010. Current research interests include the breeding and use of intermediate wheatgrass as a dual-use crop (grain and forage in the same year), and the investigation of other perennials (including grasses, forbs and legumes) as human food sources and their seed production. Doug has formerly served as a Western Director and Treasurer with the Canadian Society of Agronomy. He also served as an associate editor with the Canadian Journal of Plant Science.
Past President- Kui Liu
Dr. Kui Liu is an a
gronomist at the Swift Current Research and Development Centre, AAFC. He conducted his Ph.D. study in organic cropping systems integrating perennial forages and soil amendments. He has experience in assessing how beneficial management practices affect soil and nutrient losses at the field and watershed scale by participating in WEBs projects. His future research will focus on developing crop management practices that improve yield and enhance ecosystem services and the resilience of cropping systems. He is currently involving in several crop rotation studies, where a systems approach is applied to understand the biologic processes and complicated biotic and abiotic interactions in intensively managed cropping systems.
Secretary/Treasurer – Kathleen Glover
Dr. Glover completed a degree in agricultural science from the University of Guelph where she majored in Crop Science. She then did a M.Sc. at the University of Guelph specializing in forage agronomy and quantitative genetics. Dr. Glover went on to do a Ph.D. in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Dalhousie University studying the genetic origins of tRNAs in plant mitochondria. Following her Ph.D. she worked in private industry conducting applied research in both field and horticultural crops and was subsequently employed as a research chair/associate professor at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College where her research focused on using nutrigenomic approaches to understand the effects of fresh forage and lipid supplementation on ruminant animal metabolism and productivity. She also worked with government and industry partners to help improve pasture management for grass-fed beef production. Dr. Glover joined Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Kentville Research and Development Centre (co-located in Truro) in May 2017, as a forage agronomist. She has over 30 years experience in Plant Science Research including both basic and applied sciences.
Western Director – Hiroshi Kubota
Hiroshi Kubota is a research scientist in sustainable crop management at the Lacombe Research and Development Centre, AAFC. He received his PhD in Plant Science from the University of Alberta in 2018. Since 2019, he has focused on developing agronomy practices that improve economic and environmental sustainability in both conventional and organic cropping systems. He currently has three focal research areas: 1) cropping system diversity – to improve resilience to biotic and abiotic stress in fields; 2) cropping practice diversity – to provide tools for producers whose goals are improving/maintaining yield while reducing negative impacts on the environment; 3) integrated crop management – to optimize usage of natural resources for crop production in an environmentally and economically sound manner.
Western Director – Linda Gorim
Dr. Linda Gorim is a prominent researcher and academic leader based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Currently serving as the Crop Unit Academic Lead and Assistant Professor at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, she holds the esteemed WGRF Chair in Cropping Systems. With a Ph.D. in Crop Water Stress Management from Universität Hohenheim and an MSc in Agricultural Sciences, Gorim’s research program focuses on Integrated Agronomy, Sustainability, and Cropping Systems. Her work integrates crop productivity, water and fertilizer use efficiency, soil management, and pest control. Linda addresses challenges in translating superior genetics and agronomic practices to on-farm levels, emphasizing diverse crop rotations, including pulses, to optimize agricultural yield, quality, and input efficiency. Her research also delves into abiotic stresses, root studies, soil amendments, and nutrient use efficiency. By considering factors like water balance, climate conditions, and environmental benefits such as carbon storage, she pioneers an integrated approach for sustainable agriculture.
Eastern Director – Laura Van Eerd
Dr. Laura Van Eerd is a Professor of Sustainable Soil Management at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. The goal of her internationally-recognized research program is to advance understanding of how agricultural practices influence crop productivity, nitrogen availability, and soil health. Dr. Van Eerd was conducting 4R nutrient stewardship research in 2007, well before the term was promoted. This research earned recognition by the Canadian Society of Agronomy with the Best Paper Award 2018 in Canadian Journal of Plant Science. She has similarly applied those approaches to optimize fertilizer nitrogen management in sugarbeets, which was selected as Editor’s Pick in CJPS issue in 2021. Her innovation and foresight led to the establishment of a state-of-the-art long-term cover crop experiment that has advanced global knowledge on cover cropping in temperate climates. She has co/authored 75 peer-reviewed publications (>85% led from her research program; H index =26 Google Scholar), mostly in top-tier agronomy or soil science journals. She serves as Research Program Director for the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance since 2018. Here, she provides a vital leadership role in the province and the UoGuelph by ensuring that funded projects are agronomically sound and will have impact on Canadian agriculture. Dr. Van Eerd prioritizes communicating research findings as evidenced by over 135 scientific and 90 invited industry presentations. In addition to awards acknowledging her significant contributions to teaching, research and extension, Dr. Van Eerd was recognized as an Influential Women of Canadian Agriculture in 2020.
Eastern Director – Joshua Nasielski
Joshua Nasielski is an assistant professor of agronomy at the University of Guelph. Since 2019 he holds the “MacSon Professorship in Agronomy for eastern and northern Ontario.” Joshua’s work is centered on the agronomic research needs of Ontario farmers, addressing key issues in the cultivation of field crops prevalent in Eastern Canada, while making scientific contributions of wider geographic scope. For further insight into his work, visit the website: neoag.uoguelph.ca/.
Student Representative – Chathuranga De Silva
Nutritional Science (AFNS) at the University of Alberta, supervised by Dr. Malinda
Thilakarathna. Chathuranga’s research explores the complex ecological interactions enabling
belowground nitrogen transfer from legumes to neighboring non-legume plants—a vital process
for improving soil fertility and supporting sustainable agriculture. A core focus is analyzing
shifts in root exudate metabolites, nitrogen cycling genes, and soil microbiome behavior under
abiotic stress, like drought, and biotic stress, such as grazing. By unraveling how these factors
shape nutrient cycling and plant-microbe interactions, Chathuranga’s work seeks to guide
productive, resilient land management strategies.Chathuranga holds a Master’s degree in Molecular and Applied Microbiology from the
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, gaining expertise in molecular microbiology and
bioinformatics. A passion for microbiology research, sparked during undergraduate studies at the
University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, drives a commitment to microbial roles in agricultural and
environmental sustainability.Chathuranga actively participates in the academic and scientific community, having served as
President of the Faculty of Agricultural, Life, and Environmental Sciences Graduate Students’
Association (ALES-GSA), advocating for graduate students and fostering ties between students
and industry. Outside the lab, Chathuranga draws inspiration from nature through traveling,
hiking, camping, and capturing scenic landscapes, enriching an appreciation for studied
ecosystems. A devoted spouse and parent, Chathuranga values sharing life’s adventures with
family.
Industry Representative – Dr. Constance Chiremba
CJPS Representative – Ben Thomas
Ben is a Research Scientist in Agassiz, British Columbia with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, where he started as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Lethbridge, Alberta in 2016. Ben has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific publications. His research has mostly involved carbon, nitrogen and/or phosphorus cycling in response to organic amendments, cover crop management, land use changes and cattle grazing, as well as soil health and edaphic microbial responses to long-term intensive management practices. Ben received his Ph.D. from McGill University in 2016, where he studied labile soil organic matter and nitrogen mineralization in manure-amended soils of the Saint Lawrence Lowlands in Quebec, while also studying nitrogen dynamics in poultry manure-amended soils as a Visiting Scholar at Trent University in Ontario. Ben completed his Master of Resource and Environmental Management at Dalhousie University. There, he studied how compost and fertigation rates interacted to effect fruit yield and quality in strawberry plasticulture in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. Ben earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Prince Edward Island where he focused on plant science, food production and philosophy. Ben is now in his second term as the Agronomy Section Editor of the Canadian Journal of Plant Science. Ben is also an Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Soil Science. Ben would like to hear your questions, concerns, or suggestions for improving the Canadian Journal of Plant Science, so please feel free to contact him.