Agroforestry

Chung-Ho Lin leads the bioremediation and natural products research programs at the Center for Agroforestry. His work explores the utilization of plants, bacteria and engineered enzymes for environmental remediation and development of bioeconomy. Dr. Lin’s primary research focus includes the development of conservation and bioremediation strategies for the remediation of organic pollutants, the development of novel molecular, analytical and metabolomic techniques to characterize the fate and transport of human pathogens (e.g., SARS-COV2) and organic pollutants, identification of health-promoting and high-value natural products isolated from specialty crops and waste materials and their novel applications, and development of novel biocatalyst systems for environmental remediation and other industrial applications. The spin-offs from his translational research include Elemental Enzymes and Tiger Enzyme Solutions.

Ron Revord’s primary research advances applied breeding programs for black walnut, Chinese chestnut and northern origin pecan within the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry. Dr. Revord also collaborates with the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium on their mission to broaden the cultivated range of hazelnut, using interspecific hybrids of Corylus americana and C. avellana. In partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation, Revord’s lab collaborates on efforts to collect and conserve Ozark chinquapin, with the near-term goal of characterizing and preserving the genetics of remnant plants. He teaches Topics in Natural Resources: Clonal Horticultural Crop Breeding in the fall semesters.

Nicholas Meier is an assistant research professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. Dr. Meier’s primary research advances applied breeding programs for black walnut and pecan within the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry. He also collaborates with the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium and the Chestnut Improvement Network to develop hazelnut and chestnut cultivars for the Missouri and the Midwest.

Samuel Lord is an assistant research professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. Dr. Lord leads the Soil Ecology Laboratory, where his research explores how microbial communities govern the health, resilience, and function of the soil and broader terrestrial ecosystems. His research focuses on microbial functional ecology, the movement and persistence of genes across microbial communities, the influence of viruses and mobile genetic elements on ecosystem processes, and the development of genomic tools to evaluate soil health, restoration, and sustainable land management. 

Hannah Hemmelgram is an assistant research professor and the associate director of the Center for Agroforestry at the University of Missouri. Dr. Hemmelgarn's lab is focused on integrated social and ecological dimensions of applied agroforestry. As a tool for informing research and extension program benchmarks and assessing their impacts, her approach includes culturally responsive program evaluation, storymapping, network analysis, multimedia narrative case studies, place-based and participatory inquiry. This work serves as a bridge between the Center for Agroforestry's research, outreach, training, and education.