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I was born and raised in southwest Missouri. My parents raised a few cattle and operated a small meat locker. I received a B.S. in economics with minors in mathematics, history, and astronomy from Southwest Missouri State University in 1991. I then moved to Iowa in the summer of 1991 to pursue graduate education. I received a Ph.D. in economics and statistics in 1999 from Iowa State University.

Upon graduation, I joined the staff for the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State. I served as the U.S. Policy and Insurance Analyst with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) and a Scientist with CARD. For FAPRI, I was responsible for directing econometric and modeling efforts for the crop insurance component of the FAPRI modeling system. For CARD, I served in multiple roles, concluding as the head of the Biorenewables Policy Division and examined the interactions between the agricultural and energy sectors.

My research has examined the interaction between the agricultural commitments within the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the agricultural policies and programs of WTO members, crop insurance, international trade, biofuel policy, federal agricultural policy, and crop marketing.

 develops new soybean varieties and germplasm to help meet the growing global demand for protein and vegetable oil. He advances knowledge in soybean breeding and genetics by identifying genetic diversity using modern genetic tools with a goal of improving economically important traits in the crop.
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Diers' research advances fundamental knowledge of the genes responsible for soybean yield, protein content, and resistance to major pests. His captive breeding program releases and licenses soybean varieties for production in Illinois, with more than 15 varieties currently in commercial production. 
Affiliations: 
Diers is an emeritus professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is also a team member for the  (RIPE) project. 

 explores ways to advance the productivity and environmental performance of major field crops, including corn and soybean. He uses field-applied research and empirical data to identify best management practices to increase nutrient use efficiency and grain yield while minimizing the environmental footprint of food production systems.
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Preza-Fontes is a researcher passionate about conquering what he believes is the biggest challenge in agriculture today: the ability to produce enough food while conserving our soils and natural resources. As an agronomist, he is interested in enhancing nutrient efficiency within crops and finding ways to optimize no-till cropping systems by incorporating cover crops and extended crop rotation, including winter wheat, grain sorghum, and double-crop and full-season soybeans. In accordance with his interests, Preza-Fontes has worked on a project at the University of Illinois' Dudley Smith Farm to see how much farmers could lower tile drainage nitrate losses with nitrogen fertilizer application timing and cover crops, preventing the loss of corn yield. His published research includes studies on crop response to nitrogen after cover crops, the development of technological tools to monitor and manage soil nitrogen, corn yield responses at different vegetative stages of growth, and more. Preza-Fontes received his B.S. at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, contributing to sugarcane production research alongside his studies. He then attended Kansas State University for his M.S., moving to get his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois. Preza-Fontes worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University before starting as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois.
Affiliations: 
Dr. Preza-Fontes is an assistant professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the . He is also a Field Crops Extension Agronomist and University of Illinois alum.

 uses supercomputing and DNA sequencing to solve problems in plant, animal, and human genetics. His current research focuses on how crops are bred and on ways to treat and prevent plant, animal, and human diseases. He is particularly interested in the genetics of crop traits and the genetic and molecular interactions of soybeans with pathogens, pests, and other organisms.
More information: Hudson's research interests center on the use of high-performance computational techniques to pursue questions in genomic biology. His research program focuses on the genomic variants that control trait variation in plants, nonhuman animals and human populations, funded by grants from the NSF, DOE, and USDA as well as private companies, foundations, and commodity boards. He teaches award-winning classes at Illinois on the interface between biology and computing.
Affiliations: Hudson is a professor in the , part of the  (ACES) at U. of I. He is also co-director of the , science integration chair for the  (CABBI), and faculty affiliate at the .

 (he/him) develops sustainable strategies to manage plant nematodes. He studies the molecular and biochemical basis of plant-nematode interactions in order to determine how plant parasitic nematodes evade plant resistance mechanisms.
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Lambert is the Director of Undergraduate Programs and an associate professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois who's passionate about studying and developing sustainable methods to manage plant nematodes in crops. Lambert's latest research contribution investigates the methods and ability to express single-stranded RNA constructs transiently as a method to evaluate nematode and foreign genes for their biological significance and potential role in nematode management. Just a few more of his most recent research endeavors also include the discovery of a new member of the Carlavirus genus from randomly collected soybean leaves in Illinois, methods for measuring virulence in soybean cyst nematode, and the investigation of a new response mechanism towards plant nematode resistance involving haplotype compatibility, gene dosage, and hormone signaling.
Affiliations:
Dr. Lambert is an associate professor in the  in the  (ACES) at the . He is also the Director of Undergraduate Programs.
 

helps growers sustainably produce affordable and nutritious vegetables for consumers. He is an international leader in framing high-caliber research, explaining critical problems in weed management and crop production, and delivering solutions to the vegetable seed and processing industries in the U.S. and beyond.
More information: The goal of Williams' lab is to develop knowledge, models, and decision tools that ultimately reduce the risk that climate change and weeds pose to food production systems. His lab utilizes an array of experimental approaches at various spatial and temporal scales, all aimed at building resilience in crop management systems. The over-arching objectives of this project are to 1) improve the understanding of the influence of climate variability on crop and weed management outcomes, and 2) explore the integration of new chemical and non-chemical tactics for managing weeds in Midwest grain and/or specialty crops. 
Affiliations: Williams is an ecologist with the  of the . Housed on the campus of the  Williams is an affiliate professor in the  in the  (ACES) at U. of I.