Purdue Agriculture InFocus

Spring 2022
Join us in welcoming these new
Purdue Agriculture faculty members.
Diego Cardoso
Diego Cardoso, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Economics. Dr. Cardoso's research focuses on the design and analysis of environmental policies, especially those related to climate change and water resources. He is also interested in applied welfare analysis and risk modeling for environmental issues and human health. His research to date has studied the design of carbon taxes, the affordability of water provision, and the impact of climate change on hydropower planning. Before joining Purdue, Dr. Cardoso received his PhD from Cornell University and was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Geneva.
Amanda Deering
Amanda Deering, Associate Professor, Food Science. Dr. Deering’s research focuses on examining internalization of human pathogenic bacteria in plants, as well as routes of contamination that can contribute to plants harboring pathogenic bacteria. She leads the Purdue Safe Produce Indiana team and oversees the ServSafe program at Purdue. Dr. Deering works closely with industry to develop and test novel sanitization treatments for fresh produce. She completed her master’s in plant biology at Central Michigan University and her PhD at Purdue University in food microbiology and food safety specializing in fresh produce food safety.
Lee Miller
Lee Miller, Assistant Professor, Botany and Plant Pathology. Dr. Miller’s research activities center on the development of disease management strategies that require fewer inputs and result in sustainable, functional, and aesthetic turfgrass fields. His current responsibilities include providing disease diagnosis and control recommendations for the lawn, golf, sports turf, and sod industries in Indiana. Before joining Purdue, he was an associate professor and state extension turfgrass pathologist at University of Missouri. Dr. Miller received his M.S. in plant pathology at the University of Georgia and his PhD degree in plant pathology at North Carolina State University.
Roland Wilhelm
Roland Wilhelm, Assistant Professor, Agronomy. Dr. Wilhelm’s research examines the strategies microorganisms use to compete and co-exist in communities, and how their struggle for survival affects the elemental cycling upon which our natural resources depend. Using molecular biology, isotope biogeochemistry, and bioinformatics, he studies the lives of soil microorganisms, their relationships with plants, and their reactions to being managed by humans in agricultural ecosystems. He joins the Purdue Applied Microbiome Sciences core and the Center for the Environment. Dr. Wilhelm completed his postdoctoral research in soil and crop sciences at Cornell University with a PhD in microbiology from the University of British Columbia.