Current Lab Members
Rebecca McGrail
Postdoctoral Scholar
Rebecca joined the lab in September 2021 after earning her PhD in Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences at UK. She earned a BS degree in Environmental Chemistry at Saint Vincent College in 2014 and an MS degree in Agronomy from West Virgina University in 2017. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys reading mystery novels, baking, crafting, and gardening. Rebecca is excited to join the lab and scale up research from the lab and greenhouse into the field. She is looking forward to further studying root phenotypes and their impact of agroecosystem function.
Palash Mandal
OVPR Postdoctoral Fellow
Palash joined the lab in July 2025 as a Postdoctoral Fellow through the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Kentucky. He earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences from the University of New Hampshire and an MS degree in Plant Sciences from Wageningen University, the Netherlands. He also earned another MS degree in Agronomy and a BS in Agriculture from Sylhet Agricultural University, Bangladesh. His research in this lab explores the role of ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) in reducing nitrogen loss from animal excreta in grazing lands through biological nitrification inhibition (BNI). Palash is excited to contribute to advancing sustainable and resilient grassland ecosystems through integrative research. In his free time, he enjoys fishing and gardening.