Beginning March 1, Robert N. Stougaard will be the assistant dean of research for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He will be responsible for the overall supervision of the college’s seven research centers and farms and three major agricultural experiment stations located across the state.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Bob Stougaard’s depth of experience to manage our extensive network of research stations and farms throughout Georgia,” said Allen Moore, UGA CAES associate dean of research. “Our research network is vital to Georgia agriculture and allows us to conduct research that is climate- and soil-specific to the numerous growing conditions in a state this size.”

The field and laboratory research conducted at the college’s experiment stations and research and education centers is used by UGA Cooperative Extension specialists to educate and train Georgia agriculturists.

Stougaard received a bachelor’s degree in soil science from the University of Wisconsin in 1978 and earned a master's degree in weed science from Southern Illinois University in 1983. He earned his doctorate in weed science from the University of Nebraska, where he also minored in microbiology.

He joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska in 1987, and his primary duties focused on weed science Extension efforts in agronomic crops. In 1991, Stougaard moved to Montana State University, located at the Northwestern Agricultural Research Center near Kalispell, Montana, where he rose to the position of professor with tenure.

At Montana State, his areas of responsibility included weed science research and small-grain cultivar evaluations. His research focused on the biology and management of the wheat midge, management of stripe rust, the development of competitive cropping systems for the control of wild oat, and the effects of environmental and varietal factors on falling numbers in wheat.

“We look forward to the wealth of knowledge and fresh perspective Bob will bring to our research program and how he will help us best serve Georgia in the future,” Moore said.