Ten new assistant professors have joined the faculty this fall at the University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. Four of them will be working at Research and Outreach Centers statewide.

Their expertise ranges from precision agriculture to integrated pest management to forest ecosystem health. "These new faculty members are innovative researchers and teachers who will make a difference in how the university connects with our agricultural and natural resources partners around the state," said Brian Buhr, the College's dean, in a statement.

Among the new faces: Ashok Kumar Chanda will specialize sugar beet diseases in the Crookston area; Rob Gardner will focus on renewable energy and sustainability at Morris; Matthew Russell will research how changing environmental conditions influence the structure and function of forests near Grand Rapids; and Axel Garcia y Garcia will study integrating cover crops into current cropping systems in southwestern Minnesota.

Other new faculty members include Jason Beddow, Julie Grossman, Satoshi Ishii, Nicolas Jelinski, Christopher Philips, and Ce Yang.