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Everglades Research and Education Center

Everglades Research and Education Center

EREC Graduate Students

Jairo Arcos Jaramillo

PhD Student
Plant Breeding

Jairo Arcos is PhD student of Plant Breeding program originally from Colombia. He received his Bachelor of Agriculture Engineering at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and a master’s degree in Biotechnological Sciences from ICESI University in Colombia. As part of his PhD, Jairo will be working on plant breeding of lettuce, improving phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) under the supervision of Dr. German Sandoya.

Carolina Tieppo Camarozano

M.S. Student
Entomology

Carolina Tieppo Camarozano is a M.S. student at the Everglades Research and Educational Center at the University of Florida. Originally from Brazil, she received her Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from the University of São Paulo. During which she had the opportunity to come to EREC in an internship program (2019) with Dr. Julien Beuzelin, to work with corn silk flies. She kept the interest in working with Insect Pest Management and is now part of the UF Entomology department. Her research is focused on the management of the rice stink bugs complex, in the aim to find better solutions for growers, and on the study of their natural enemies in the Everglades Agricultural Area.

Hima Varsha Madala

PhD Student
Agronomy

Shabnam Sadeghibaniani

PhD Student
Agronomy

Shabnam is a Ph.D. student in the Agronomy Department at the University of Florida. She is working under the supervision of Dr. J. Mabry McCray and studies sugarcane nutrient management and soil Silicon calibration on mineral and organic soils. Her research assists farmers in making cost-effective decisions regarding the application of soil amendment and could reduce the impact of fertilizer application on the environment. 

Anik Mahmud

PhD Student
Soil and Water Sciences

MD Anik Mahmud is a Ph.D. student in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Florida. Under Dr. Jahangir Bhadha's supervision, he works on phosphorous legacy, sensing, fate, and capture. Before joining this program, he earned MSc. in the IPSS program from the University of Kentucky, where he worked on selenium oxyanions removal using passive anaerobic bioreactors. Anik also earned BSc. from the Soil, Water, and Environment department at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.  

Simranjot Kaur

PhD Student
Agronomy

Byron Manzanero

PhD. Student
Lettuce Breeding

Byron Manzanero is a Ph.D. student, originating from Belize. He received his Master’s degree from Delaware State University in agricultural science. He now forms part of the Horticulture department at UF, his focus will be on the lettuce breeding program, investigating the host-pathogen interaction of Lettuce and Bacterial leaf spot. He falls under the advisory of Dr. German Sandoya. 

Suraj Melkani

PhD. Student
Soil and Water Sciences

Suraj Melkani is a Ph.D. student, originally from India. He received his master's degree from G.B. Pant University, Pantnagar. As part of his Ph.D., Suraj will be working on soil carbon (C) sequestration, a potential tool for climate change mitigation, and soil bioremediation in the Soil, Water, & Ecosystem Sciences Department under the supervision of Dr. Bhadha. His research focuses on utilizing biogeochemical models Day Cent and COMET and crop simulation models like DSSAT and APSIM that an help us better understand soil C dynamics, allowing us to improve C sequestration capacity through improved monitoring and soil C modeling.

Rachelle Berger

PhD. Student
Agronomy Department

Rachelle's Advisor is Dr. Calvin Odero, she will be evaluating the effects of green sugarcane harvesting versus burning cane and the effects these harvesting methods have on weed population dynamics, herbicide interactions, and management as well as determine the impacts on soil community composition and nutrient cycling.

Jesse Murray

PhD. Student

Jesse Murray is a Master of Science student in the Horticultural Sciences Department working with Dr. Germán Sandoya. His work is related to Fusarium Wilt of lettuce, breeding and genetics. Jesse is also interested in outdoor adventuring, human health and nutrition, and international development. Jesse is also mentored by Dr. Richard Raid.

Noel Manirakiza

PhD. Student
Soil and Water Sciences

Noel is originally from Rwanda, Africa. He received his Master's degree from Selcuk University, Turkey. As part of his PhD, Noel will be working on soil health sustainability and carbon sequestration in Dr. Bhadha's program.

 

Xue Bai

PhD. Student
Soil and Water Sciences

Xue is originally from China. She received her master's degree from Beijing Normal University, China. As part of her PhD, Xue will be working on assessing conservation farming practices within the EAA in Dr. Bhadha's program.

 

Maryory Orton

PhD. Student
Soil and Water Sciences

Larissa Pereira Lima

PhD. Student
Entomology

Larissa Pereira Lima is a M.S student in Entomology at the
Everglades Research and Education Center of the University of Florida. She is originally from Brazil and received her bachelor’s degree in Agronomic Engineering from the University of Sao Paulo. For 5 years she worked on integrated pest management for sugarcane and fruits crops. Now, under the supervision of
Dr. Julien Beuzelin, her research is focused on understanding corn silk fly distribution in a diversity of habitats, advancing knowledge of these important pests for sweet corn growers in southern Florida.

 

Amandeep Sharma

PhD. Student
Agronomy

Amandeep Sahil Sharma is a Ph.D. student, originally from India. He received his master’s degree from Punjab Agricultural University, India. He is now a part of the Agronomy department and will be working on the evaluation of energycane for bioenergy and sustainable agricultural systems under the supervision of Dr. Hardev Sandhu.

Vitour Moura

PhD. Student
Plant Pathology