Current Members

  • Rick Boyles, Ph.D.

    Principal Investigator

    Having been raised in the rural South Carolina Lowcountry, Dr. Boyles aims to give back to a community that helped shape him. After completing a Bachelor’s in Biology from the University of South Carolina and receiving a Ph.D. in Genetics from Clemson, Rick took a passion in making underserved crops more adapted and productive to this region, which sports a diverse agricultural landscape and host of challenges. He has led the CGBG program since 2017.

  • Carolina Ballén-Taborda, Ph.D.

    Postdoctoral Research Associate

    Bio to be added here.

  • Will Stafstrom, Ph.D.

    Postdoctoral Research Associate

    Bio to be added here.

  • William Caughman

    Research Technician

    Bio to be added here.

  • Kimberly Baskins

    Research Technician

    Bio to be added here.

  • M. Anto Conti

    PhD Student

    Anto Conti joined the program as a Ph.D. student in August 2022 after earning her Bachelor’s degree in Agronomic Engineering from UNNOBA, Argentina. She gained experience working in the industry during her undergraduate years and after graduation, developing a strong interest in plant breeding and genetics. Currently, she is working on sorghum grain antimicrobial activity, the secondary metabolites involved, and its genetic mechanisms for its use in poultry feed, enhancing animal health.

  • Maggie Thomas

    PhD Student

    Bio to be added here.

  • Alex Celiz

    PhD Student

    Bio to be added here.

  • Katarina Floyd

    Research Assistant

    Bio to be added here.

Program Alumni

  • A.J. Ackerman, Ph.D.

    PhD Graduate

    Dr. Ackerman successfully earned his Ph.D. in August 2022 and is currently a Plant Breeding Coordinator for Breeding Insight (Ithaca, NY). AJ published his research on Fusarium resistance mechanisms in sorghum and wheat.

  • Mary-Frances Behnke, M.S.

    Masters Graduate

    Mary-Frances received her Master’s degree in August 2023 after conducting research in sorghum genomics for disease resistance. Mary-Frances is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Georgia.

  • Ryan Holmes, M.S.

    Research Technician

    Ryan joined the program in December 2018 to coordinate field data collection, lead wheat crossing, and manage seed inventory. Bringing a wealth of experience from his previous positions, Ryan was always on top of these critical tasks. He will be missed by his former colleagues.

  • Dawn Hicks

    Research Assistant

    Dawn worked in the program part-time for nearly three years to assist with many different field and seed processing tasks. She was instrumental in the program to hit timelines for planting, data collection and analysis.