The 2022 calendar year is coming to an end, marking my first full year of service as director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. I want to thank you all for a highly rewarding and productive year for our agency.

2022 saw a record $160 million in external grants and contracts, a team of faculty members receiving the largest single award in AgriLife Research history, $65 million, and an NSF ranking of AgriLife Research as the No. 1 agricultural research agency in the U.S. These accomplishments could not have been achieved without the dedication of our faculty, staff and students who contribute to our enterprise. Thanks for all you do!

Since our last newsletter, Dr. Henry Fadamiro, associate director and chief scientific officer, has taken a new role as associate vice president for strategic initiatives with Texas A&M University. Henry was an outstanding resource for AgriLife Research and will be missed. He initiated multiple new initiatives, which we plan to advance in 2023. These plans include continued enhancement of our faculty programs for success and engagement.

I am grateful that Dr. Sandy Pierson has agreed to serve as interim associate director while we initiate a search for a permanent replacement. Sandy brings years of administrative experience and is already making a difference. Please keep an eye out for the position description, and consider applying if you feel qualified.

This past November, the Board of Regents established the Texas A&M Institute for Equine Sciences. It aims to be the best, most collaborative equine program in the world — improving the industry and its participants and enhancing horse care and welfare. The institute will lead an effort to enhance research infrastructure and deliver the best education for students and equine industry professionals. A search for a director has been initiated, and we hope to have someone in place by mid-2023.

In October, Texas A&M AgriLife opened the Precision Phenotyping Greenhouse. More about the greenhouse is included below. I appreciate the collaborative efforts of multiple faculty, staff and administrators who provided support and effort to get the facility built and operational. The facility was partially funded by a Chancellor’s Research Initiative grant, and we hope it will bring long-lasting impacts to the plant sciences while enhancing our competitiveness for grants.

In addition, the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics had the grand opening of the Cryo-EM Research Center. The center represents a continuation of the department’s long history of contribution to structural biology. This collaborative effort between Texas A&M University and AgriLife Research brings state-of-the-art technologies in atomic-resolution microscopy to our campus.

In the coming year, we hope to initiate additional priorities that will have long-lasting positive impacts on our research enterprise. We fully expect the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to be integrated into our research enterprise. This should generate enhanced collaborations in College Station and across the state. We also anticipate new programs that help connect our more than 600 faculty across Texas. Therefore, I encourage you all to attend Texas A&M AgriLife Connect. This conference will provide valuable opportunities to interact with members of Texas A&M AgriLife from all our agencies.