Kiersten A. Wise

Kiersten A. Wise serves as a Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology within the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky. She maintains dual appointments at the UK Research and Education Center in Princeton and the Plant Science Building in Lexington, where she directs the Wise Lab. Her extension and research programs focus on disease management for corn, sorghum, and forages across Kentucky.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from North Dakota State University (2008), an M.S. in Plant Pathology from the University of Georgia (2004), and a B.S. in Plant Health and Protection with a minor in Horticulture from Iowa State University (2002).

Dr. Wise's research centers on developing economical and sustainable disease management practices for grain crops, particularly through studying how management techniques affect plant disease biology. Her work emphasizes improving grain crop production efficiency while understanding pathogen-host interactions. She has published extensively on fungicide efficacy, soybean sudden death syndrome, corn diseases like Goss's wilt and Diplodia ear rot, and integrated pest management strategies.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a strong focus on meta-analyses of fungicide efficacy across major grain crops, with particular emphasis on quantifying yield impacts and economic benefits. Her work bridges fundamental plant pathology with practical extension applications, consistently addressing real-world disease management challenges faced by farmers.

• Purdue University College of Agriculture Outstanding Extension Faculty Award (2016)
• North Central Division American Phytopathological Society Early Career Award (2013)
• International IPM Award of Excellence for soybean rust PIPE team (2012)
• Multiple Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service awards (2010-2016)

As an extension specialist, Dr. Wise advises graduate students including Luke Warner and collaborates with scientists like William Barlow. Her Wise Lab produces applied research directly informing Kentucky's agricultural practices. She has secured significant funding for projects addressing critical disease threats to regional crops, with outputs including the Crop Protection Network educational materials that have received national recognition. Her work on soybean rust monitoring represents a major coordinated national effort in disease surveillance.

Dr. Wise leads the Wise Lab, which focuses on field-based disease management research with strong extension integration. Her team conducts on-farm trials and develops practical diagnostic tools for grain crop diseases, maintaining close connections with Kentucky's agricultural community through field days and extension publications.