The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University has announced the appointment of 10 new William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professors. Funded by an endowment established by William Neal Reynolds in 1950, the professorship recognizes outstanding scholars, leaders, teachers and mentors. The endowed positions are among the college’s highest honors.
Three of the new William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professors are women.
Susana Milla-Lewis is a professor in the department of crop and soil sciences. Her research interests are in germplasm characterization and development of breeding populations, and the utilization of new technologies in association with conventional breeding methods for turfgrass improvement. Born and raised in Lima, the capital of Peru, she earned a master’s degree in tobacco breeding and a Ph.D. in peanut breeding from North Carolina State University.
Natalie Nelson is a professor in the department of biological and agricultural engineering. She joined the university’s faculty in 2017. She is an expert in coastal water quality forecasting and environmental data science, with particular expertise in how tidal flooding, sea-level rise, and engineered water systems drive microbial contamination and public health risk in coastal communities. Dr. Nelson holds a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in agricultural and biological engineering from the University of Florida.
Anna Stepanova is a professor of plant and microbial biology. Her research focuses on plant hormones, specifically the mechanisms of ethylene signal transduction, auxin biosynthesis, hormone pathways’ crosstalk, and translational regulation of hormone responses. Dr. Stepanova is a graduate of the University of Nevada, where she majored in biology. She holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Pennsylvania.