People

Rajan Ghimire, Ph.D. 

Associate Professor, Cropping Systems & Soil Health

My research focuses on improving efficiency, profitability, and soil environmental quality in dryland and irrigation cropping systems. The primary area of my research involves soil organic matter dynamics, carbon and nutrient cycling in agroecosystems, greenhouse gas emissions, soil organic matter-microbial community interactions, and their relationships with sustainable crop production and ecosystem services. Contact me if you are interested in these research topics. More information about


Laboratory Members

Anuoluwapo (Anu) Ogunleye, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar

Dr. Anu Ogunleye has a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Health from the University of Nevada, Reno, where she pioneered different projects and held several leadership positions. She has over fourteen years of work experience. Her research interests include but are not limited to soil health, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gases, climate change, forage production, forage nutrition, etc. Her hobbies include writing, sewing, cooking, baking, and public speaking.


Atinderpal Singh, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Dr. Atinderpal Singh has expertise in soil health and water dynamics. He is interested in soil and water conservation, irrigation, and sustainable agriculture research. His research will evaluate soil health dynamics and their relationship with ecosystem functions, specifically soil water conservation in agroecosystems.



Dotun Arije
Ph.D. Student
Dotun's research involves evaluating cropping systems and management impacts on soil C sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions using field based experiments and biogeochemical process based models. 


Barsha Sharma
MS Student
Barsha will be engaged in soil health assessment in lands facing transition to dryland and soil C sequestration in grasslands chronosequence. 


Amrit Dhoj Adhikari
MS Student (ENMU)
Amrit's research involves studying soil/residue carbon mineralization kinetics in laboratory conditions and litter decomposition studies in the field. He is a graduate student at Eastern New Mexico University and is engaged in my research group through ENMU-NMSU collaboration. 



Hamza Badrari
MS Student (EPPWS)
Hamza works on cover crop, compost, and tillage effects on weed dynamics in semi-arid dryland and limited irrigation cropping systems. 


Olufemi Adebayo
Ph.D. Student
Olufemi Adebayo is interested in soil health and soil-plant water dynamics. His research project evaluates cover crop and compost effects on soil health and soil-plant water dynamics in winter wheat-sorghum-fallow rotation.


Sundar Sapkota
Ph.D. Student
Sundar is interested in farming systems innovations for improving soil health and agroecosystem resilience. His project evaluates the effects of circular grass buffer strips on soil health and C/N cycling.
  



Pramod Acharya 
Ph.D. Student
Pramod is working on forage production systems. He investigates soil C cycling and sequestration potential, greenhouse gas emissions, and nitrogen transformation in forage production systems.  





Recent graduates and postdocs

Wooiklee S. Paye, Postdoctoral Scholar, 2020 - 2022 (Now USDA, ARS)
Sk. Musfiq-Us-Salehin, M.S. 2020 (Now, TAMU)
Abdelaziz Nilahyane, Postdoctoral Scholar, 2018-2019 (Now UM6P, Morocco)
Vesh R. ThapaM.S. 2018, Ph.D. 2021, Post-Doc. 2021-2022 (Now UNL)
Mikayla J. Allan, M.S. 2018 (Now NRCS)
Binod Ghimire, M.S. 2017 (Now UIUC)
 
  


Visiting Scholars
Deb Raj Aryal, Ph.D.
Dr. Aryal is a Visiting Scholar from the Mexico National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT). He has expertise in carbon sequestration and ecosystem services in natural and managed ecosystems. He will be with us for a year and is interested in expanding collaboration. 


Babu Ram Khanal, Visiting Scholar from Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal. Oct 2018 - Jan 2019. 
Yaqiong Fan, Visiting Scholar from China Agricultural University, Sept-Oct 2017.