FACES of

Leaders in research [COMPILED BY A&M STAFF] As the National Science Foundation’s No. 1 historically Black university in the nation for total research and development expenditures, Florida A&M University has excelled in its mission to enhance the lives of constituents through innovative research, engaging cooperative extension and public service. In this edition of “Faces of FAMU,” we take a look at some of the University’s top principal investigators. In recent years, with the support of their co-investigators and colleagues, they have made a profound impact in some of the world’s most critical areas of need.

Robert Taylor, Ph.D. College of Agriculture and Food Sciences From agricultural and water quality research to vineyard management practices, Taylor – as dean of the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences and a principal investigator – and his team of researchers have amassed more than $4 million in grants over the last two academic years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) National Institute of Food and Agriculture is among the top granting organizations that have provided Taylor and his team with funding to find solutions that will enhance the agricultural industry and increase the number of minorities entering the field. As a result of his influence in agriculture and food science, Taylor was selected to serve two terms on the USDA’s National Agricultural Research, Education, Extension and Economics Advisory Board, the only USDA board mandated by Congress to advise the secretary of agriculture. His research interests include soil and environmental chemistry, plant science, and soil and water pollution. Taylor is credited with developing a new soil chemical adsorption hypothesis and helping to develop a new nanopore chemical adsorption theory in minerals.

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