Indrajeet Chaubey, who has enjoyed a distinguished career in teaching, research, and administration, has been named the new dean of UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources. He will also serve as director of the Connecticut Cooperative Extension System and the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station.
Chaubey comes to UConn from Purdue University, where he held a number of positions over the past 12 years, including associate dean and director of international programs of the College of Agriculture since 2016. From 2013 to 2017, he was the head of and a professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, and professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. He joined Purdue in 2007 as an associate professor.
“It is an honor for me to lead the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources at UConn,” said Chaubey, who will start March 1. “At the core of the land grant mission of UConn, CAHNR provides a rich environment of discovery, learning, and extension outreach that are vital to agricultural production, natural resource sustainability, the health of communities, and economic development.
“We are fortunate to have nationally and internationally recognized faculty and staff in CAHNR who are devoted to working on problems that improve the everyday quality of life for citizens of Connecticut and beyond,” he added.
In his most recent role at Purdue, Chaubey was responsible for leading international activities in the College of Agriculture to implement programs that encompass food, agriculture, and natural resources systems. He worked closely with faculty, national and international agencies, and private foundations in obtaining funding and facilitating international development and capacity-building projects.
“We are very happy to welcome Dean Chaubey to UConn,” said Craig Kennedy, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs of UConn. “His accomplishments both an administrator and a scholar will be a great benefit to CAHNR and the university.”
Chaubey is an internationally recognized researcher in the field of ecohydrology and nonpoint source pollution. His research over the years has focused on the lack of clean water in many parts of the world. Simulation models and tools that he has developed help guide policy and decision makers, watershed managers, conservation specialists, and farmers.
He has published more than 475 research articles, including 140 peer-reviewed journal articles and 190 technical papers at conferences, and has served as the principal investigator or co-investigator on 55 research projects with grant support totaling more than $40 million.
Chaubey was named a fellow by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers in 2017.
Prior to his tenure at Purdue, Chaubey was a faculty member at the University of Arkansas from 2000 to 2006 and a research scientist at the University of Alabama from 1998 to 2000.
He earned his doctoral degree in biosystems engineering from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Allahabad in India.
