Tapan Pathak

Tapan Pathak is an Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension at the University of California, Merced, affiliated with the School of Engineering and Civil & Environmental Engineering Department. His work focuses on applied climate science in agriculture.

• Education: Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering (University of Florida, 2010), M.S. in Irrigation Engineering (Utah State University, 2004), B.S. in Agricultural Engineering (Gujarat Agricultural University, 2000)

Research Interests span climate adaptation in agriculture, development of decision support systems, and impacts of climate change on crop production and pest dynamics. His projects include CalAgroClimate.org, a platform integrating seasonal climate forecasts into agricultural planning.

Publications highlight applications of climate science in specialty crop management, stakeholder-driven climate adaptation frameworks, and AI-related challenges in data integrity. Key topics include winter chill prediction, climate-smart agriculture, and pest infestation modeling.

Collaborative efforts include partnerships with USDA and UC Cooperative Extension to enhance climate resilience in California and international regions like Gujarat and Thailand. His work employs machine learning and field-scale data to forecast yields and address climate-driven agricultural risks.