Our Researchers
Agricultural Research Program
Scientists in the Agricultural Research Program are active in funded research projects that reflect the 1890 land-grant university mission to serve agricultural industries, communities and individuals, with a strong emphasis on research that serves small and limited-resource farms, businesses, rural communities and families in North Carolina.
Following are ARP research faculty, listed by department:
Administration, Agricultural Research Program
Dr. Shirley Hymon-Parker
Associate Dean for Research
Room B16 C.H. Moore
336.285.4701
shymonp@ncat.edu
Department of Animal Sciences
Dr. Tracy Hanner
Clinical Associate Veterinarian
Room 107B Webb Hall
336.285.4781
hanner@ncat.edu
Research: Animal infectious diseases; animal nutrition; pharmaceutical drug discovery
Dr. Radiah C. Minor
Assistant Professor
Room 107H Webb Hall
336.285.4787
rcminor@ncat.edu
Research: Immunology research using cell and molecular biology coupled with in vitro and in vivo models to investigate immune modulation by dietary supplements.
Dr. Ralph Noble
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Animal Sciences
Suite 101 Webb Hall
Office 336.334.7547
rcnoble@ncat.edu
Research: Food security; animal health; reproductive technology; biosecurity and emergency preparedness
Dr. Sang-Hyon Oh
Assistant Professor
Room 252-C Webb Hall
336.285.4807
soh@ncat.edu
Research: Statistical animal breeding, genomic animal selection and sustainable outdoor pig production
Jenora Waterman
Assistant Professor
Room 229c Webb Hall
336.285.4815
jdwaterm@ncat.edu
Research: Characterization of agricultural dusts and respiratory disease
Dr. Willie Willis
Professor
Room 252A B.C. Webb Hall
336.285.4805
willisw@ncat.edu
Research: Alternatives to drug/antibiotics usage in poultry.
Dr. Abraham Woldeghebriel
Associate Professor
Room 107C Webb Hall
336.285.4782
awoldegh@ncat.edu
Research: Delivery of nutrients, metabolism and nutritional physiology
Dr. Mulumebet Worku
Professor
229B Webb Hall
336.285.4816
worku@ncat.edu
Research: Health and genomic diversity in ruminant animals
Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education
Dr. Antoine Alston
Professor; Coordinator of the Agriscience Education Program; Interim Associate Dean for Academic Programs
Room 251 Carver Hall
336.285.4818
alstona@ncat.edu
Research: Instructional technology in agricultural settings; inclusive populations/diversity in agriculture, agricultural literacy
Dr. Paula Faulkner
Assistant Professor
Room A-21 C.H. Moore
336.285.4724
pefaulkn@ag.ncat.edu
Research: Multicultural education; special populations; teacher education, experiential learning
Dr. Benjamin Gray
Associate Professor of Rural Sociology; Co-Director & Research Methodologist for the Applied Social Research Laboratory (ASRL)
Room A-27, C.H. Moore
336.285.4729
grayb@ncat.edu
Research: Rural health utilization and access; rural community leadership; social changes in rural societies, including impacts of new technologies in rural areas
Dr. Kenrett Y. Jefferson-Moore
Associate Professor
Room 154-A Carver Hall
336.285.4829
jykenret@ncat.edu
Research: Marketing of alternative commodities; markets for nutritionally enhanced and organic products
Dr. Chastity Warren English
Adjunct Assistant Professor
242-A Carver Hall
336.285.4819
ckwarren@ag.ncat.edu
Research: Youth development and leadership; soft skills development; diversity inclusion in agricultural education.
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
Dr. Guibing Chen
Assistant Professor, Lead Scientist for Food Engineering, Center for Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies
Suite 4222, UNC Nutrition Building, North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC
704.250.5701
gchen@ncat.edu
Research: Dietary fiber-enriched functional foods; microencapsulation of functional food ingredients and antimicrobial agents
Dr. Patricia A. Lynch
Assistant Professor; Coordinator, Dietetics Program
Room 205 Benbow Hall
336.285.3627
palynch@ncat.edu
Research: Eating behaviors; nutrition; obesity, health disparities
Dr. Elizabeth Newcomb Hopfer
Assistant Professor
Family and Consumer Sciences
Room 208A Benbow Hall
336.285.3628
eanewcom@ncat.edu
Research: Apparel product development; target markets with special needs; apparel sizing and fit issues
Dr. Valerie Jarvis McMillan
Associate Professor; Coordinator, Child Development Program
Room 161-C Carver Hall
336.285.4859
vmcmilla@ncat.edu
Research: Culturally responsive classroom practices; food selections, preferences, and eating behaviors of young children and their families; child nutrition patterns; parent education
Dr. Shengmin Sang
Associate Professor, Lead Scientist for Functional Foods, Center for Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies
Suite 4222 UNC Nutrition Research Building, North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC
704.250.5710
ssang@ncat.edu
Research: Bioactive natural products from functional foods and herbal medicine to prevent/treat chronic diseases, such as cancer, obesity and diabetes
Dr. Leonard L. Williams
Professor, Interim Director and Lead Scientist for Food Safety and Microbiology, Center for Excellence in Post Harvest Technologies
Suite 4222, UNC Nutrition Research Building, North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC
704.250.5703
llw@ncat.edu
Research: Food safety; microbiology and epidemiology of foodborne pathogens from food, veterinary and clinical sources
Dr. Jianmei Yu
Assistant Research Professor
Building and room #: 171D Carver Hall
Office phone number: 336.285.4861
Campus email: jyu@ncat.edu
Research: Bioactive compounds of agricultural and food products; value added utilization of agricultural products and by-products; diet, food nutrition and obesity prevention; food stability, shelf life and safety.
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design
Jarvetta S. Bynum
Research Associate
Room 154-D Carver Hall
336.285.4833
jsbynum@ncat.edu
Research: Economic opportunities for small farmers; growing canola for biofuel
Dr. Godfrey A. Gayle
Professor
Room 118 Sockwell Hall
336.285.3831
gayle@ncat.edu
Research: Soil conservation engineering; water management and modeling; soil water quality; crop production for season extension under high tunnels; rapid detection and treatment of soil and water contaminants
Dr. G. B. Reddy
Professor
Room 235 Carver Hall
336.285.4850
Research: Constructed wetlands; carbon sequestration and fate of nutrients in agricultural systems; soil and water quality, climate change
Dr. M.R. Reddy
Professor, Environmental Soil Chemist
Room 224D, Carver Hall
336. 285. 4851
Research: Environmental solutions for traditional, small‐scale and limited resource farmers; understanding carbon footprints for agriculture, industry and community activities; enhancing forests and grass lands; biofuels, biomass, and bio-based industrial products
Dr. Manuel Reyes
Professor
Room 120 Sockwell Hall
336.285.3832
Research: Agro-ecological engineering, conservation agriculture, agroforestry, ecosystems, landscapes and watershed modeling
Dr. Abolghasem Shahbazi
Professor; Director of Biological Engineering Program; Director Bioenergy Center
Room 107 Sockwell Hall
336.285.3830
Research: Bioenergy systems; waste-to-energy conversion technologies; biobased products development
Dr. Lijun Wang
Associate Professor
Room 121 Sockwell
336.285.3833
Research: Bioenergy processing technologies, waste-to-energy technologies, biobased products development, energy efficiency and management, and computational process engineering
Dr. Guochen Yang
Associate Professor
Room 224-A Carver Hall
336.285.4853
Research: Plant tissue culture and micropropagation related to plant quality and production improvement, agroforestry and inter- and alley-cropping.
