Welcome to these faculty members who have joined us since June:

David Barbarash, Assistant Professor, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. David earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree from the State University of New York. His research focuses on the use of 3D modeling as a visualization tool for design exploration and public interaction and education while measuring cost benefits of varying levels of detail. David came to Purdue from private practice in design firms from New York City and Washington, DC, where he specialized in urban design and urban ecology. He teaches the Senior Urban Design Studio, Computer Graphics and Construction Documents courses in the department.

Songlin Fei, Assistant Professor, Forestry and Natural Resources. Songlin received a master’s degree in statistics and a doctorate in ecology from Penn State University. Before coming to Purdue, he was an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky. His research interests include spatial analysis and pattern recognition, invasive species distribution modeling, and forest ecosystem dynamic modeling. Songlin is teaching Natural Resources Measurement and Natural Resources Quantitative Methods courses in the department.

Marcos Fernandez, Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs. Marcos received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Illinois State University, a master’s degree in animal science from Tennessee and a doctorate in animal science from North Carolina State. He came to Purdue from Penn State University's College of Agricultural Sciences, where he was professor and associate dean. Before his work at Penn State, he was a member of the faculty at Louisiana State University’s Department of Animal Sciences; assistant research professor at Langston University in Oklahoma; and a research and teaching assistant at North Carolina State University and the University of Tennessee. Marcos' research has focused on metabolism and nutrition in livestock species, including cattle, sheep and goats. He has taught several introductory and advanced agriculture and animal science courses and has been recognized with numerous teaching awards and honors.

Owen Jones, Assistant Professor, Food Science. Owen earned his bachelor’s degree in food science from The Ohio State University and his doctorate in food physical chemistry from the University of Massachusetts. He spent two years at ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, studying milk protein structures and teaching undergraduate courses. He plans to continue research into protein and other biopolymer structuring at a sub-micron scale through physical principles and develop strategies for their implementation as encapsulation and textural systems in foods using light scattering, spectroscopy, and high resolution imaging. Owen teaches the laboratory section of Food Analysis and is developing coursework in Food Physical Chemistry.

Jiqin Ni, Assistant Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Jiqin received his bachelor’s degree from Zhejiang University in China, a master’s degree in agronomy from Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, and his doctorate in agricultural engineering from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. Jiqin’s research and extension interests are in livestock waste systems engineering to protect water and air quality, including livestock and poultry waste treatment, bioenergy from agricultural wastes, measurement and control in environmental study, data acquisition and control software development, sensor development, pollution assessment, mitigation technology testing, mathematical modeling, and best management practices.

Jacob Ricker-Gilbert, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Economics. Jacob received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont, a master’s degree from Virginia Tech, and his doctorate in agricultural economics from Michigan State University. His research and teaching activities are primarily related to economic growth and poverty reduction in developing countries. He has a special interest in how technology, market access, and public policy affect people's decisions and well-being. He has international experience in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Prior to his doctoral studies, Jacob worked as an agricultural economist at the Economic Research Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sean Rotar, ASLA and Assistant Professor, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. Sean earned his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Ball State University and his master’s degree from the University of Illinois. He has practice experience in Illinois and Indiana and for the past four years has been an instructor of landscape architecture at Ball State. His research interests include the history of both designed and vernacular landscapes, green infrastructure efficacy and application, studio and classroom pedagogy, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. He is teaching Introduction to Landscape Architecture, Landscape Construction and Community Design courses in the department.