Chris Pires

Date & Location: April 8, 2024, at 4p

Location: BCH 101

Host: Mackenzie Jacobs

About the Speaker

Institution: Colorado State University

Subject: Cabbages & climate change domestication and feralization of Brassica

Abstract: J. Chris Pires is a Professor and Head of Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University (CSU). Pires is a first-generation college student who earned a B.S. in biology at the University of California-Berkeley, and then did his Ph.D. in Botany and held a post-doctoral position in Agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined CSU in January 2023 and brought with him 30 years of experience in scientific research and engagement on issues related to science and society, including 16 years as a faculty member at the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU). Pires’ leadership has included serving as an Associate Dean for research at MU, where he co-led the development of four new interdisciplinary centers. Pires’ research is primarily in crop genomics with over 190 peer-reviewed publications on plant genome evolution and the consequences of polyploidy and domestication. He has won several research and mentoring awards; he is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At CSU, Pires is passionate about leading his department in engaging students and stakeholders in our ever-expanding land grant mission.