Paul Gepts

Education: 

• Ingénieur Agronome, Agro-Biotech Gembloux (Université de Liège, Belgium); Défense des Végétaux, 1976
• Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison; Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics, 1984
• Postdoc, University of California, Riverside; Molecular Evolution, 1987

Research interests and expertise: 

The main thrust of my research, teaching, and outreach program is the study of crop agrobiodiversity for the purposes of conservation and application to breeding programs. The main crops studied are Phaseolus beans (black, pinto, kidney, yellow beans, etc.). Central to these activities are the processes preceding, accompanying, or following the domestication of crops as these play a major role in the organization of genetic diversity. In turn, this information is applied to bean breeding programs in California and East Africa.

Current projects: 

• USDA-NIFA-SCRI: Development Of Genomic Resources To Improve The Lima Bean Breeding For Consumer Quality And Agronomic Traits

Current teaching: 

External activities that contribute to scholarship:

• Associate Editor, Frontiers in Plant Science
• Associate Editor, Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution

Prizes, Awards, Honors:

• Chancellors Award for International Engagement at UCD, 2018
• Agropolis Louis Malassis Prize (Montpellier, France): Distinguished Scientist, 2017
• Frank N. Meyer Medal for Plant Genetic Resources, Crop Science Society of America, 2015
• Calvin Sperling Biodiversity Memorial Lectureship, Crop Science Society of America, 2014
• B.Y. Morrison Award, USDA-ARS and American Society for Horticultural Science, 2013
• Fellow, Crop Science Society of America, 2005
• Fellow, American Society of Agronomy, 2003
• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2000-2001

Google Scholar

ORCID

Social media links: 

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• Loop profile: 123721
• Scopus Author ID: 7003659591
   

Keywords:  

• Phaseolus
• Bean
• Domestication
• Crop evolution
• Biodiversity
• Genomics
• Botanical exploration
• Genetics
• Breeding
• Phylogeny
• Molecular
• Capsicum
• Latin America
• East Africa
• Mexico
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia