Texas Tech has appointed Dinesh Saini as a research assistant professor of crop and forage molecular breeding in the Department of Plant and Soil Science, effective Sept. 1.
In this role, Saini will focus on advancing sorghum improvement through conventional and molecular breeding approaches, while also contributing to the improvements of other crops and forage species. His appointment reflects Texas Tech’s commitment to strengthening sorghum as a resilient food and feed crops and to promoting sustainable agricultural innovation.
Saini brings expertise in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics with a strong emphasis on sorghum improvement, said Krishna Jagadish, interim chair of the Department of Plant & Soil Science. Saini’s research spans trait mapping, marker-assisted breeding, high-throughput phenotyping, and the integration of physiological and data-driven approaches to accelerate crop improvement.
His work is expected to accelerate new strategies for delivering climate-resilient sorghum varieties and strengthening yields in regions where the crop is a critical staple, Jagadish added.
Earlier this summer, Saini and Jagadish co-edited Designing Sorghum Genome for NextGen Agriculture, a new book that outlines a blueprint for reengineering sorghum through multidisciplinary approaches. The book highlights genetic achievements to date while charting new directions for harnessing sorghum’s potential in the face of a changing climate.
“My research aims to integrate molecular tools with targeted breeding strategies to improve sorghum performance under stress conditions,” Saini said. “By combining traditional breeding, trait mapping, and genomics-enabled approaches, I hope to contribute improved germplasm and breeding lines that will benefit both industries and producers.”
Before joining the faculty of Texas Tech’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Saini worked under a United Sorghum Checkoff Program project as a postdoctoral research associate. He previously served as a research associate at South Dakota State University’s Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science, and as guest faculty at Chaudhary Charan Singh University in India.
Saini earned his doctorate in agriculture, specializing in plant breeding and genetics from Punjab Agricultural University, India, where he received multiple top academic honors, including the Chancellor Medal and the University Gold Medal in Crop Improvement and Protection.
He was also awarded the DST-INSPIRE and ICAR-SRF fellowships for his doctoral program, as well as the Dr. M.S. Randhawa Medal by the Honorable Governor of Punjab, India. Earlier in his academic journey, Saini received top honors at Chaudhary Charan Singh University, including multiple gold and silver medals and the Kisan Trust Prize for outstanding performance in his bachelor’s and master’s programs.
Looking ahead, Saini said that in addition to his research, he will contribute to graduate student mentoring, departmental teaching and professional service.
CONTACT: Krishna Jagadish, Interim Chair and Professor, Department of Plant & Soil Science, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-7953 or kjagadish.sv@ttu.edu
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