Andy Pereira

Andy Pereira is Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics at the University of Arkansas, holding the Anheuser-Busch and Arkansas Wholesalers Professorship. He directs the Experiment Station and teaches in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. His research focuses on plant genetics, environmental stress responses, and climate adaptation strategies for crops.

Education includes:

• Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Cytogenetics from Iowa State University (1986)
• M.S. in Genetics from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (1981)
• B.Sc. in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry from Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (1979)

Research examines molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance in crops, with recent studies on heat/drought responses, transposable elements, and QTL mapping for yield stability. Dr. Pereira is actively involved in climate change education, having presented research to teachers through the Andrill Climate Change program and participated in national science festivals.

Publications demonstrate strong focus on abiotic stress responses in rice, particularly genomic approaches to heat/drought tolerance, with new methodologies for phenotyping and gene characterization emerging in recent works.