Andres Patrignani, Soil Water Processes
Dr. Andres Patrignani is the new assistant professor in soil water processes in the Department of Agronomy. Patrignani joined the department in May 2016 and holds the position formerly held by Dr. Loyd Stone, who is now retired.
Patrignani grew up in the city of Venado Tuerto, Argentina. In 2008, he received his B.S. degree in Agronomic Engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Rosario located in Rosario, Argentina. He then participated in a year-long internship through Monsanto and the Argentine No-till Farmers Association working in South Dakota State University’s soil fertility lab.
He completed his M.S. in Plant and Soil Sciences in 2011 and his Ph.D. in Soil Science in 2015, both from Oklahoma State University. His research focused on the soil moisture dynamics of water-limited agricultural systems of the southern Great Plains. His thesis, “Soil Moisture Dynamics in Water-Limited Cropping Systems of the Southern Great Plains,” received OSU’s 2016 Outstanding Thesis Award in the engineering and soil science category.
Patrignani is excited to serve the people of Kansas and work in a state with a myriad of agricultural opportunities and pressing water challenges. These opportunities and challenges will require collaborative and creative research ideas. Patrignani’s main research scope will focus on the development and advancement of sensor-based soil moisture monitoring systems, investigation of water management strategies for improved water use in irrigated and water-limited cropping systems, and better understanding the interaction between global climate change and soil-water relationships.
Patrignani’s teaching program will be centered on the key role of soil water in the global water cycle and surface energy balance. He will teach courses in which undergraduate and graduate students alike will learn the fundamentals and importance of soil physical properties through classroom, laboratory, and hands-on field activities.
Dr. Patrignani can be reached by email at andrespatrignani@ksu.edu.
