2025 Research Profiles
AFES researchers work to provide Alaskans with scientific information about agriculture and natural resources that contribute to our everyday lives through food and landscapes. Every two months, we will be releasing a profile on one of our researchers, highlighting the work they do and who they are. Check back to learn more about the people behind the science at AFES!
Jakir Hasan, research assistant professor of plant genetics, works to develop improved varieties of crops with a history of cultivation in the state, and to find new crop types that can be commercially successful in Alaska's extreme environment. “We know that it can be grown,” Hasan says, “but we need to know how to do it and what variety will make farmers more profitable.”
Learn more about Hasan's research and the path he took to become a plant breeder.
One of entomologist Dennis Fielding's favorite things about his job was getting to
know insect species like the root maggot. He studied not just their phenology — the
timing of important life events — but also their biology and behavior. By unearthing
the intricacies of the lives of the root maggot and other pests, Fielding's work can
provide information on how to manage these insects to help farmers grow successful
crops.
Learn more about root maggots and grasshoppers and how Fielding went about studying
these farm pests.