Paul Nugent

Paul Nugent serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences within Montana State University's College of Agriculture. He maintains dual affiliations with the Optical Technology Center (OpTec) and the College of Agriculture, positioning his work at the intersection of engineering innovation and agricultural application. His research program bridges advanced sensing technologies with practical farm-level implementation to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability across Montana.

Dr. Nugent's academic foundation includes:

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering (2005)
• M.S. in Electrical Engineering (2008)
• Ph.D. in Engineering (2016)

All earned at Montana State University, providing deep institutional knowledge of Montana's agricultural landscape and technical research infrastructure. His educational background uniquely combines electrical engineering rigor with agricultural systems understanding.

Research initiatives center on optical sensing systems (remote and proximal), Internet of Things integration, and machine learning applications for precision agriculture. Current projects target optical tools for pest management, soil health monitoring, and crop production optimization, emphasizing producer-engaged research conducted directly in operational farm environments. This approach ensures technologies address real-world adoption barriers while generating actionable insights for agricultural producers.

Dr. Nugent's publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to optical remote sensing applications, with recent work spanning hyperspectral weed detection, thermal imaging for environmental monitoring, and multispectral systems for agricultural research. His scholarly output bridges engineering innovation with practical agricultural problem-solving across diverse contexts from crop production to wildlife management.

Research funding reflects strong alignment with Montana's agricultural priorities:

• Evaluating hyperspectral detection of potato virus Y (Montana Department of Agriculture)
• Barley adaptation to abiotic stress (USDA NIFA)
• Specialty crops water management network (Montana Department of Agriculture)
• Spectral response of pulses to soil acidity (Montana Department of Agriculture)
• Beef production sustainability (National Cattlemen's Beef Association)

These projects collectively address critical challenges in Montana agriculture while developing next-generation precision farming tools. Dr. Nugent's work through the Optical Technology Center fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, agricultural scientists, and producers to accelerate technology transfer and adoption across Montana's diverse farming operations.