Marty Draper, PhD
Associate Dean
Research and Graduate Studies for the College of Agriculture
112 Waters Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
Ph: 785-532-6148
Biography
Dr. Draper currently serves as the Associate Dean for Research and Gradate Programs in the College of Agriculture and Director for Research with K-State Research and Extension (the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station).
He arrived at Kansas State University in 2016 as the Plant Pathology Department Head and has served as Director of Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station since the fall of 2018. Previously, he served ten years at USDA-CSREES and NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture) where he was National Program Leader for Plant Pathology and Integrated Pest Management, gaining extensive knowledge and experience with Federal funding mechanism and authorities. At USDA he coordinated various iterations of the Extension IPM program and had substantial responsibilities for biosecurity programs in AFRI, Critical Agricultural Research and Extension program, the ipmPIPE program for crop pest and disease tracking, and what became the Crop Protection and Pest Management portfolio programs and Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative programs, especially the National Plant Diagnostic Network. He had extensive involvement in the administration of USDA-NIFA capacity programs.
At Land-grant universities, he has had roles in teaching, research, and Extension in the course of his career. Prior to his service with USDA-NIFA, he was the Extension Plant Pathologist at South Dakota State University. Previously, he was Director of the Plant Pest Diagnostic Laboratory and Seed Heath Testing Lab at North Dakota State University and Lecturer, where he taught Laboratory courses in Introductory Plant Pathology and the Social Impact of Plant Diseases. He began his career post-MS degree as the plant pathologist with the North Dakota State Seed Department where he managed the propagation of disease indexed limited-generation potato seedstocks and managed the diagnostic laboratory for the agency. He received his MS and PhD degrees are from North Dakota State University in plant pathology. He is a native of southwest Iowa and received his BS degree is from Iowa State University in Plant Pathology and pest management.
Research & Extension
- Extensive research experience in wheat and soybean disease management.
- Has conducted research on disease management in 15 different crops of the northern Great Plains.
- Project Director for the USDA-NIFA funded Tactical Sciences Network.