Andrew McElrone

I am a scientist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and an adjunct faculty member in Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis. I also recently served as the Acting Director of the USDA California Climate Hub. For two decades, I have studied plant responses to changing environmental conditions in agricultural and natural ecosystems, and become an internationally recognized expert in plant water use and responses to drought with specific applications to irrigation management and sensor technology development. My research program is focused on sustainable water use strategies for agriculture by developing crops with improved drought tolerance, more efficient irrigation strategies, and new technology to better quantify crop water use and stress. Along with collaborators, I pioneered the use of x-ray microCT for studying drought-induced plant vascular dysfunction at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Advanced Light Source. I am a patented inventor, author of over 100 peer reviewed journal articles, a passionate teacher and mentor, and grantee of over $10M in funding from commodity, government and private organizations. Previously, I studied water use in deep tree roots using caves (20 meters below ground) and examined plant and pathogen responses to changing atmospheric conditions—both as a post-doctoral researcher at Duke University and a professor of biology and environmental science at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. My graduate students have received national awards for their research and founded companies moving our inventions into the marketplace to help growers use water more efficiently. I am regularly invited to present my work to national and international audiences ranging from growers and technical groups to Silicon Valley agtech companies, United States Congress, and global governments. Throughout my career I have worked to extend science to students from under-represented groups through university service and outreach in a variety of settings.