Category: IPS News

Dr. David Bertioli and Dr. Soraya Leal-Bertioli’s work with the UGA Wild Peanut Lab was featured in CAES Field Report’s story, “UGA Wild Peanut Lab helps M&M’s ‘Protect the Peanut’”, spotlighting wild peanut genetics and crop resilience.

Dr. Juliet Chu’s blueberry breeding program was featured in CAES Field Report’s story, “In pursuit of the perfect blueberry”, highlighting how traditional breeding, AI, imaging and genetic data are shaping the future of Georgia blueberries.

The UGA Plant Center has announced the 2026 GERMINATE seed grant awards, supporting new cross-campus collaborations in cotton disease, AI-guided peach phenotyping and blueberry genetic transformation.

Dr. Peggy Ozias-Akins, Distinguished Research Professor, received the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for In Vitro Biology, recognizing her pioneering contributions to plant reproductive biology, molecular genetics and crop improvement.

Dr. Brian Schwartz, professor and turfgrass breeder on UGA’s Tifton campus, was named UGA’s 2026 Inventor of the Year for developing commercially impactful turfgrass cultivars with broad real-world reach.

Dr. Wayne Parrott, Distinguished Research Professor and director of the Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, has been named a 2026 University Professor in recognition of his contributions to teaching, research, service and plant science education.