Research Agronomist
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Dr. Vijay Varanasi joined the CPSRU as a Research Agronomist in February 2024. Dr. Varanasi’s research will focus on herbicide resistant weeds in various cropping systems and integrate multiple tactics in a precision integrated weed management approach. Prior to joining the CPSRU, Dr. Varanasi was a Research Scientist at Bayer Crop Science at St. Louis, MO., where he worked on several multidisciplinary projects in trait testing-weed control, lawn and garden, and breeding product design groups under controlled environmental conditions.
Dr. Varanasi earned his PhD in Plant Sciences from North Dakota State University, Fargo and his BS and MS degrees in Agriculture and Horticulture from Gujarat Agricultural University, India. The focus of his doctoral research conducted at the USDA-Biosciences Research Laboratory in Fargo, ND, was to discover novel molecular target sites for controlling the invasive weed leafy spurge. Later he joined the USDA-Tree Fruit Research Laboratory-Washington State University at Wenatchee, WA, as a Postdoctoral Research Associate to conduct studies on the process of apple fruit ripening and post-harvest physiology.
After a short stint as a manager with a startup company, Dr. Varanasi joined Kansas State University (K-State), Manhattan, KS, as a Research Associate and later as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Arkansas (U of A) at Fayetteville, AR. During his time at K-State and at U of A, Dr. Varanasi characterized several herbicide resistance mechanisms in economically important weeds such as Palmer amaranth and kochia before taking a position as a Research Scientist with Bayer Crop Science in St. Louis, MO.
