Biographical Sketch

Dr. Welch is a plant physiologist and Lead Scientist employed at the USDA-ARS, U.S. Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory located on the Cornell University campus. He has a courtesy faculty appointment (Professor of Plant Nutrition) within the Department of Soil, Crop and Atomospheric Sciences at Cornell University and co-teaches a graduate course in plant nutrition. Dr. Welch’s research is directed at improving the nutritional quality and safety of food crops for humans using sustainable food-based system approaches. His Laboratory’s mission is to closely link agricultural production to human health and nutrition issues. His current efforts focus on improving micronutrient bioavailability and density of limiting micronutrients and calcium in edible portions of important food crops. He is also interested in improving the nutritional quality and increasing health promoting substances (e.g., selenium, vitamin E, ascorbate) in fruits, nuts and vegetables, and in developing holistic food system solutions to malnutrition globally. Reducing the accumulation of toxic heavy metals (e.g., Cd) in edible seeds and grains is also a research focus of his. He is a co-organizer of the Food Systems for Improved Health (FSIH) program within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, and has cooperative international research programs with colleagues in Australia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Egypt, and Turkey. He also cooperates with four CGIAR Centers including IFPRI, CIAT, CIMMY and IRRI on a project directed at increasing the micronutrient (iron, zinc, iodine, selenium, provitamin A caroteniods ) density of staple plant foods (i.e., rice, wheat, maize, beans and cassava) through plant breeding and genetic modification to enhance human health globally.

VITA

ROSS M. WELCH

Education:

B.S.: (Soil Sci.), Calif. Polytech. Univer., San Luis Obispo, 1966.
M.S.: (Soil Sci./Plant Nutrition), Univer. of Calif., Davis, 1969.
Ph.D.: (Soil Sci./Plant Nutrition), Univer. of Calif., Davis, 1971.

Research Experience:

• 1972-present: Plant Physiologist & Lead Scientist, USDA-ARS, U.S. Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory, Ithaca, NY;
• 1994-present: Co-organizer; Cornell University's Food Systems for Health Program within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
• 1975-present: Prof. of Plant Nutrition (Courtesy), Depart. of Soil, Crop & Atmospheric Sciences., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
• 1980-1981: Visiting Distinguished Scientist, Environ. & Life Sci., Murdoch Univ., Perth, Australia
• 1971-1972: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Depart. of Agron., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
• 1966-1971: Research and Teaching Assistant, Depart. of Soils and Plant Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA

Professional Societies:

Am. Assoc. .Adv. Sci.; Am. Soc. Agron..; Am. Soc. Plant Physiol.; Crop Sci. Soc. Am.; Sigma Xi, The Scient. Res. Soc.; Soil Sci. Soc. Am.; The New York Acad. Sci.; Council for Agricul. Sci. Technol.

Professional Activities:

Co-editor: Second edition of Micronutrients In Agriculture, for Soil Sci. Soc. Am.
Co-editor: Crops as Sources of Nutrients for Humans for the Am. Soc. Agron.
Co-editor: Food-Based Approaches to Micronutrient Malnutrition: an International Research Agenda
Co-editor: Creating Healthful Food Systems: Linking Agriculture to Human Needs
Guest Reviewer: J. Nutrition, Plant Physiol., Agron. J., Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., J. Envirn. Qual., J. Agric. & Food Chem., Science, J. Plant Nutrition., Physiol. Plant., Plant & Soil, Planta, etc.
Appointed: Member, Am. Soc. Agronomy, Membership Committee, Soil Sci. Soc. Am., Soil Sci. Research Award Committee (2 yrs.); Member, Crop Sci. Soc. Am., Crop Sci. Research Award Committee (1991-1993); representative to Section O (Agriculture) Committee, Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci. for the Soil Sci. Soc. Am. (1992-95).

Honors & Awards:

Honors & Awards: Research Award, N.E. Regional Sec., Am. Soc. Agron. (1992); Fellow, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. (1988); Fellow, Am. Soc. Agron. (1988); Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Depart. of Plant Sci., University of Adelaide, S. Australia, (9/01/91 to 12/01/91); Distinguished Lecturer, University of Adelaide, S. Australia, (9/01/91 to 12/01/91); Distinguished Visiting Scientist and Principal Researcher, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, (9/1/80 to 8/31/81); elected Councilor, International Council for Genetics and Molecular Biology of Plant Nutrition representing the United States; elected Councilor, International Council on Plant Nutrition representing the United States; elected President, Cornell Chapter of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, 1983-84; Editorial Board, BioMetals; Editorial Board, Micronutrients and Agriculture; Certificate of Appreciation from USDA-ARS for being Acting Director of the U.S. Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory for a 9 mon. period; Biography listed in: Who's Who in America; Who's Who in Science and Engineering; American Men and Women of Science; Men of Achievement, International Biographical Centre.