Following an extensive national search, Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences has named Dr. S. Patricia Stock as the new department head of Horticulture, effective August 5, 2024.
Stock joins OSU with an extensive background in horticulture, entomology, and agricultural leadership, making her a valuable addition to our academic community. Stock has acted in many leadership roles, both in academia and extramurally, most recently serving as Dean of the College of Agriculture at California State University Chico. Prior to that she served as Director of the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Arizona.
Stock holds a Ph.D. in Natural Sciences and B.S. in Biology from Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Argentina. Her postdoctoral training was at the Department of Nematology at the University of California, Davis, where she also held the position of Assistant Curator of the U.C. Davis Nematode Collection.
“Dr. Stock’s extensive leadership experience, academic scholarship, and passion for the land-grant mission of teaching, research, and outreach is going to have tremendous impact at OSU,” said Dr. Staci Simonich, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. “I am thrilled to welcome her to Beaver nation.”
Currently serving as President of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology, Stock has held several service positions in professional societies, including as Vice-President of Education in the International Symbiosis Society (2015-2018) and President of the Organization of Nematologists of Tropical America (ONTA) (2008-2010). Over the course of her career, Dr. Stock has devoted efforts to promoting research, education, and outreach activities in agriculture.
Her research program spans the fields of Nematology, Entomology, and Microbiology, with a focus on the study of plant parasitic and insect pathogenic nematodes. Her current research focus is on the bioprospecting of microbial symbionts’ secondary metabolites and their application as alternatives for the management of pests in diverse cropping systems.
She has published over 125 peer-review articles, 13 book chapters, and two books and has taught large and small courses on Nematology, Insect Pathology and Agricultural Issues at diverse academic levels.
Stock succeeds Bill Braunworth, who served as department head of Horticulture since 2013.