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People: Plant Breeding & Genetics

Center of excellence for classical plant breeding, molecular approaches to crop improvement, and creation of superior varieties

Plant Breeding & Genetics contacts

Cornell University
233 Emerson Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853

Section Head, Michael Gore
Phone: (607) 255-5492
Email: mag87 [at] cornell.edu (mag87[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Assistant to the Section Head, Amy Collins
Phone: 607-255-2180
Email: acl10 [at] cornell.edu (acl10[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Director of Graduate Studies: Kelly Robbins
Email: krr73 [at] cornell.edu (krr73[at]cornell[dot]edu)
Office: 102b Beebe Hall

Graduate Field Coordinator: Ayesha Al-Hashimi 
231 Emerson Hall
Phone: 
Email: aa2849 [at] cornell.edu (aa2849[at]cornell[dot]edu) 

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Faculty & Senior Academics

Tenured and Tenure-track Faculty, Senior Research Associates, and Senior Extension Associates

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Adjunct & Courtesy Faculty

These faculty have primary affiliations with other SIPS sections and Cornell units or with USDA-ARS

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Faculty Emeriti

Faculty emeriti and other retired academics

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Graduate Students

Graduate students in the Field of Plant Breeding

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Academic Staff

Post-doctoral associates, research associates, extension associates, and lecturers

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Technical & Support Staff

Staff members support research scientists, maintain greenhouses and research fields, and manage administrative functions

Plant Breeding & Genetics News

Margaret Smith in corn field

News

Margaret Smith, “embodiment of the land grant mission,” elected emerita
After almost 50 years at Cornell – from an undergraduate student to a widely respected steward of Cornell’s land grant mission – Margaret Smith has been elected professor emerita. Smith came to Cornell in 1974 and earned her bachelor’s (’78) and...
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
Builder Jeff Gagnon uses the Ereasy spray system

News

‘Hemp house’ project kicks off new support for NYS hemp

With a $5 million investment from New York state, Cornell is building a processing hub and “service center,” where businesses can research, develop and prototype new hemp-based materials.

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
DEWAS team

News

Battling crop diseases without borders

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
  • Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section
Cornell’s Ignite Innovation Acceleration program logo

News

Cornell’s Ignite Innovation Acceleration program supports inventors, early-stage innovations

Six Cornell inventors developing projects in robotics, advanced materials, agriculture, biotechnology, AI for medical education and veterinary medicine have been selected for the spring 2025 cycle of the Ignite Innovation Acceleration program.

  • Nutritional Sciences
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section
crates with potatoes on a farm

News

160 years of Cornell potato breeding: local collaboration & national impact
Boil them, mash them, stick them in a stew – potatoes are the most-consumed vegetable in New York and the U.S., accounting for $100 billion of the U.S. economy. Although New York’s share of total potato production has decreased over time, with...
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics Section