Will lead department in mission to meet needs of students and industry stakeholders

David Baltensperger, Ph.D., professor and head of the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, has also been appointed interim head of the college’s Department of Food Science and Technology. 

He will continue the department’s mission to develop a world-class training, research and outreach program to help shape the future of the food science profession and meet current and emerging needs of industry stakeholders.

Baltensperger said he is excited to serve as interim head of the department and will work to help further identify, develop and implement its vision for the future. He added that some of his past professional experience will be useful in better understanding and addressing the needs of the department. This includes his work as an alternative crop specialist in western Nebraska at which time he worked closely with food processing groups to develop alternative products.

He also served as interim director of a university food processing facility, which was an outreach facility for helping the food industry develop these alternative products. His earlier work with millet was also oriented toward the food market.

About Dr. Baltensperger

Before attending college, Baltensperger spent his summers working on his family farm where he was involved in the production of wheat, millet, cattle, irrigated corn and alfalfa. He received his bachelor’s degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University, his master’s degree from the University of Nebraska and his doctorate from New Mexico State University.

At Texas A&M, Baltensperger served two years as interim head of the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. He was later appointed head of the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, where he provided leadership and administration for a large comprehensive program of research, teaching and extension.

Baltensperger’s research has been focused on plant breeding and genetics to support agronomics and soil science. He has released or co-released more than 55 cultivars and germplasm accessions across 20 genera of crops that have collectively been grown on more than 25 million acres of crop production. His research has been cited more than 5,400 times, with his most cited work related to phosphorus movement and adsorption in a soil receiving long-term manure and fertilizer application. He has had numerous papers published, contributed to several book chapters and been awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in a wide variety of contracts and grants.