Somayanda Impa Muthappa, an expert in crop physiology, has been named a Research Assistant Professor within Texas Tech University’s Department of Plant & Soil Science, according to officials within the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources. She officially steps into her new research post on Apr. 15. 

Muthappa indicated that her research program broadly focuses on enhancing yield potential and abiotic stress resilience in grain and forage sorghum. One of her primary goals at Texas Tech is to help develop novel physiological and biochemical tools and methods to enhance quality and productivity of grain sorghum. In addition, her program will explore opportunities to improve the nutritional quality of forage sorghum and millet.  

Prior to joining the Texas Tech faculty, Muthappa served as research manager and research associate at Kansas State University. She also worked as a project scientist in micronutrient and heavy metal uptake in the Soil Science, Crop & Environmental Sciences Division of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.  

Muthappa served as a Visiting Research Fellow in the ETH Department of Environmental Systems Science in Zurich, Switzerland. Her master’s degree and doctorate in crop physiology are from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India.  

Texas Tech’s Department of Plant and Soil Science is a comprehensive academic unit, conducting research and offering coursework and programs in several areas of plant and soil science. It has 29 full-time faculty members, and a student body consisting of approximately 150 undergraduate and 120 graduate students. Some of those students are enrolled in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources distance education program. 

CONTACT: Glen Ritchie, Department Chair, Department of Plant & Soil Science, Texas Tech University at (806) 742- 4325 or glen.ritchie@ttu.edu

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