President: Peyton Sorensen
Peyton Sorensen is a second year PhD student in the Field Crop Pathology Group with Dr. Tiffany Jamann. Her research focuses on fine mapping a resistance gene in maize for bacterial leaf streak, as well as characterizing hydathode resistance to Goss’s wilt. In her free time, Peyton enjoys reading, running, knitting, spending time outdoors, and playing with her two cats, Bob and Toadstool.
Vice-President: Mauro Martínez
Mauro Martínez Moré is a PhD student in the Soybean Breeding lab under Dr. Eliana Monteverde. His research integrates crop growth modelling, envirotyping, and photosynthetic trait measurement into breeding pipelines to better understand GxE interactions and enhance soybean yield. Building on his earlier work—where he studied light-quality-dependent photosynthesis during his Bachelor’s and translatomic responses to drought during his Master’s— Mauro continues to explore how crops adapt to environmental challenges. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer and tennis, swimming, and surfing.
Treasurer: Finnleigh Woodings
Finnleigh is a PhD student in the soils lab. His focus is on soil organic matter and soil health, looking to improve our understanding of the biogeochemical mechanisms underlying healthy soils, and how we measure them. His current project focuses on identifying the volatile organic compounds responsible for the smells farmers perceive in healthy soils here in the Corn Belt. When not smelling soils, he enjoys baking bread and watching the Philadelphia Eagles (go birds).
Secretary and Teaching Committee Representative: Kayla Vittore
Kayla is a graduate student in the DK Lee Lab. Her research focus is sustainable agronomy and nitrogen efficiency. Kayla is currently a TA Liaison for CSGO, and the Graduate Representative on the Crop Sciences Graduate Program Committee. You are welcome to contact her via university email, kaylamv2@illinois.edu. Outside of graduate school, Kayla is a member of the Sola Gratia Farm (Non-Profit) Board of Directors and a hobbyist embroiderer. She is also passionate about teaching and has a certificate from CITL from her four semesters of experience as a TA. Kayla believes that organizations like CSGO are defined by their community, and is ready to assist fellow crop sciences students wherever possible.
Social Chair: Abby Livingston
Abby is a graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is pursuing her master's in Crop Sciences with a focus on plant breeding and genetics. Abby works in Dr. Martin Bohn's lab on maize breeding and genetics. During her off-time, she enjoys playing volleyball and volunteers as a training advisor for Illini Service Dogs.
Social Chair: Krishna Raj Pandey
Krishna Raj Pandey is a second-year master’s student working on Soybean Pathology, co-advised by Dr. Schroeder and Dr. Karki. He specializes in molecular plant pathology, with his research focused on developing high-throughput molecular detection methods for Calonectria ilicicola (the pathogen causing Red Crown Rot in soybeans) using different molecular markers. In his free time, he enjoys playing sports like cricket, football, and table tennis, watching movies, listening to music, playing guitar, and cooking.
Networking Chair: Sreya Venadan
Sreya Venadan is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, working under the guidance of Dr. Matthew Hudson and Dr. Steven Clough. Her research centers on the molecular characterization of major fungal diseases affecting soybean, including red crown rot and Asian soybean rust. She is particularly interested in exploring the genome architecture and genetic variability of these pathogens to better understand their evolution and impact on crop health. Sreya’s long-term goal is to advance the field of plant genetics, with a focus on developing sustainable solutions for crop disease resistance. Outside the lab, she enjoys painting, reading, hiking, camping, and immersing in nature.
Webmaster: Marcos Bonini Pires
Marcos Bonini Pires is a master’s student at Illinois Agronomy'lab, where his research focuses on the impact of cover crops on soil health and nutrient cycling. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Agronomic Engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil (2023). His research interests center on sustainable agriculture practices, including the use of cover crops, no-till farming, and organic fertilizers, all aimed at enhancing crop yields while preserving the environment. In his free time, Marcos enjoys outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, playing soccer, and photography.
Media Chair: Holly Anderson
Holly Anderson is a second-year master’s student studying plant genetics in the Juvik Lab. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic mechanisms influencing the production of health-promoting compounds in pigmented maize for use as nutraceuticals and natural food dyes. Holly enjoys playing volleyball and listening to live music.
Student Ambassadors: Sophia Arista
Sophia Arista is a second-year M.S. student in the UIUC Small Grains group under Jessica Rutkoski. Her research focuses on monitoring winter dormancy release in Midwest-adapted winter wheat and developing UAV-based methods to improve the understanding of early-season growth dynamics. In her free time, she enjoys reading, driving, talking about her dogs, and Latin dancing.
Student Ambassadors: Sheila Scheffel
Sheila Scheffel is a third-year Ph.D. student in the UIUC Small Grains Improvement group under Dr. Juan Arbelaez. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic architecture of heat stress in small grains and developing breeding strategies to improve heat tolerance and help ameliorate the effects of global warming. Sheila loves being outside, brewing and appreciating good beer, going out, reading, and most of all, enjoying family, friends and her beastly dog, Betty.
Student Ambassador: Sahil Redhu
Sahil is a Second-year master's student in Dr. Babadoost's lab, specializing in plant pathology. He earned his bachelor's degree with honors in agricultural sciences from Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University. Currently, Sahil’s research focuses on the evaluation of the effectiveness of potential fungicides to control the growth of Phytophthora capsici in the laboratory and pumpkin field. Apart from research, he loves to interact with new people and play volleyball.