Blesh will hold appointments in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences and at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. Her interdisciplinary research applies ecological knowledge to foster transitions to sustainable agriculture and food systems. She will join MSU from the University of Michigan, where she has served as an associate professor of ecosystem science and management and food systems in the School for Environment and Sustainability for the past 12 years.
Established in 2022, the Red Cedar Distinguished Professor program recognizes current and new faculty for exemplary scholarly achievement, teaching excellence and alignment with MSU’s strategic research priorities. It supports the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty while enhancing the university’s national and global reputation.
An internationally recognized agroecologist, Blesh uses interdisciplinary approaches to study the ecological and social outcomes of food systems. Her research advances knowledge of ecological nutrient management, with an emphasis on diversified agroecosystems, soil nitrogen and carbon cycles, and legume nitrogen fixation. She also examines the social processes that shape food system transformation, from production through consumption, to support more ecologically sustainable and socially just systems.
“Our work identifying the outcomes of agricultural diversification with cover crop mixtures contributes to a better understanding of transitions away from reliance on commercial fertilizers and how to build resilience to a changing climate,” said Blesh.
Source : msu.edu