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MAFES names new associate director
MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Clarence E. Watson Jr., interim head of the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at Mississippi State University, has been named associate director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station effective Feb. 19.
As associate director, Watson will be responsible for planning and managing the Experiment Station's research efforts. He joins Marty Fuller, MAFES associate director for external affairs, and Vance Watson, MAFES director, in leading the research organization.
"Dr. Clarence Watson brings a unique mix of training and experience to this position," said Vance Watson, who is also interim MSU vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine. "I'm confident that he will provide excellent leadership as part of the MAFES management team."
MAFES was established through provisions in the Hatch Act of 1887, which provided federal funds for research and experiment stations at land-grant universities, and subsequent state legislation enacted in 1888. The Experiment Station serves Mississippi through research programs in agriculture, forestry and related sciences.
Clarence Watson will provide oversight to MAFES grants and contracts, research enhancement and federal data reporting and analysis. In addition, he will serve as a mentor to new MAFES faculty.
Watson holds bachelor's and master's degrees in agronomy from New Mexico State University. He earned his doctorate in crop science from Oregon State University.
Watson joined the MSU faculty in 1976. He has conducted research to improve forage, row and food crops. His work has led to more than 200 publications, including four book chapters.
Since 1992, Watson has served as head of the MAFES Experimental Statistics Unit. He has also served as an administrative adviser to the MSU Extension Service Priority Program Group for corn, soybean, horticulture and the green industry. In addition to his service at MSU, Watson has served as a consultant to the Midamerica International Agriculture Consortium, an organization that supports the development of agriculture and natural resources programs in Mexico and Kenya.
Writer: Charmain Tan Courcelle
