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
Laboratory group, summer 2023

Amrit Dhoj Adhikari, Laboratory Coordinator
Coordinate field activities and laboratory analysis.
Atinderpal Singh, Postdoctoral Scholar, Dr. Atinderpal Singh has expertise in soil health and water dynamics. His research will evaluate soil health dynamics and their relationship with ecosystem functions, specifically soil water conservation in agroecosystems.
Pramod Acharya, Postdoctoral Scholar
Dr. Acharya has expertise in soil health, carbon and nitrogen dynamics, and greenhouse gas emissions. His research involves soil health and carbon management in New Mexico and other water-limited agroecosystems.
Dotun Arije, Ph.D. Student

Barsha will be engaged in soil health assessment in lands facing transition to dryland and soil C sequestration in grasslands chronosequence.
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 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.
Visiting Scholars
Recent graduates and postdocs
Anuoluwapo (Anu) Ogunleye, Postdoctoral Scholar, 2023, (Now Assistant Professor, Eastern New Mexico University)
Amrit Dhoj Adhikari, MS, 2023 (ENMU), now Lab Coordinator, cropping systems lab
Pramod Acharya, Ph.D. 2023, (Now Postdoctoral Scholar, NMSU)
Wooiklee S. Paye, Postdoctoral Scholar, 2020 - 2022 (Now USDA, ARS Researcher)
Sk. Musfiq-Us-Salehin, M.S. 2020 (Now, Ph.D. Student, TAMU)
Abdelaziz Nilahyane, Postdoctoral Scholar, 2018-2019 (Now UM6P, Morocco Faculty)
Vesh R. Thapa, M.S. 2018, Ph.D. 2021, Postdoc 2021-2022 (Now UNL Postdoc)
Mikayla J. Allan, M.S. 2018 (Now NRCS Soil Conservationist)
Binod Ghimire, M.S. 2017 (Now UIUC for Ph.D.)
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.