Irish Pabuayon, an international researcher with more than a decade of agronomy experience in both the Philippines and the U.S., has been named a research assistant professor within Texas Tech Universitys Department of Plant & Soil Science, according to Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources officials. She officially stepped into her new post on Jun. 1.
“I plan to support and promote Texas agriculture through development of efficient resource management strategies integrated with new technologies and genetic advancements to identify plant physiological mechanisms that will benefit Texas producers and scientists,” Pabuayon said.
Today, Pabuayon is conducting field-based research projects on whole-plant physiology, irrigation management, carbon and nutrient partitioning, fertilizer management, high-throughput phenotyping, and sustainable crop production.
“My goal is to develop a deeper understanding on how resource use and management strategies could be fine-tuned to be more efficient and improve the productivity, quality, and profitability potential of cotton and other relevant field crops in Texas,” she said.
Prior to joining Texas Tech faculty, Pabuayon served as postdoctoral research associate within Texas Techs Department of Plant & Soil Science. While in Lubbock, her work included studies of crops including rice, upland cotton and oilseeds. In addition, she worked as an Assistant Professor based at the Louisiana State University AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station.
Pabuayons bachelors degree in chemistry is from the University of the Philippines. She earned masters and doctoral degrees in plant and soil science with concentrations in agronomy and crop physiology from Texas Tech. Honors include being named Texas Tech Plant & Soil Science Outstanding Doctoral Graduate Student (2022).
Earlier this summer, Pabuayon was part of a winning research team recipient of a Davis College Grand Challenges Catalyst Grant (Planning), titled ‘Evaluating Tools to Monitor Water Use and Water Conservation in Drought-Prone Urban Landscapes.
This story was first published in the Davis College NewsCenter. See the original article here.