Prof. Hugh Earl has been appointed as the new chair of the Department of Plant Agriculture for a five-year term effective January 1, 2017.

“It is an honour to be appointed to this position,” says Earl. “The Department of Plant Agriculture is the foremost applied plant sciences department in Canada, and we are currently experiencing substantial growth in our teaching and research programs.”

“I look forward to working with department faculty, staff and students, as well as the college administration, as we continue to chart our path forward.  It is going to be an exciting five years,” Earl adds.

Earl, a crop physiologist, has served as interim chair since January 2016.

“Hugh has been an excellent interim chair over the last year,” says Rene Van Acker, dean of the Ontario Agricultural College. “His enthusiasm and eagerness to advance the department will continue to support its success.”

Earl received his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Guelph. He was a faculty member at the University of Georgia for five years before returning to the University of Guelph in 2006. He has served on various departmental, University and professional committees including the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program committee, University Senate, and the Board of Graduate Studies. He has received multiple awards, the most recent being the 2013-14 Teaching Excellence Award awarded by the University of Guelph Central Students Association.