Indrajeet Chaubey, Ph.D.

Dr. Indrajeet Chaubey is the Dean of the University of Connecticut’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR). He is also the Director of the Connecticut Cooperative Extension System and the Storrs Agriculture Experiment Station. He is responsible for the overall administration and strategic leadership of the College, involving nine departments that offer 18 PhD, MS, BS, and Associate of Applied Science programs to 2,300 undergraduate and 550 graduate students. CAHNR has a $90 million annual budget, 185 full-time faculty, and 130 staff members.

Under his leadership, CAHNR has experienced unprecedented growth in its vital mission areas. The highlights include:

• A historically high enrollment of approximately 2,300 undergraduate and 550 graduate students.
• Multiple undergraduate and graduate programs have been launched to support workforce needs, including a four-year degree program in Allied Health Sciences at UConn Waterbury, a two-year program in urban forestry and arboriculture, and multiple entrepreneurial graduate programs.
• Over 50% increase in scholarships awarded to CAHNR students.
• More than 95 new faculty members have been recruited to the College since 2019. Each new faculty member directly supports one or more of CAHNR’s strategic priorities.
• Extramural research funding doubled ($20 million in FY 2019 to over $41 million in FY 2023).
• A substantial increase in the number of active UConn Extension outreach programs in the state, with more than 500 projects directly impacting 173,000 CT residents.
• More than $45 million has been raised through philanthropic giving during the last five years.
• A strong relationship built with state and federal legislators, resulting in significant new funding to support many of CAHNR’s key programs.

The strategic visions Dr. Chaubey developed have bold initiatives and road maps that significantly enhanced the stature, visibility, and impacts of the programs he leads at UConn. Dr. Chaubey has led multiple university-wide initiatives, including developing and fostering interdisciplinary groups of researchers for national and international research and development, creating strategic partnerships and programs spanning multiple colleges and public and private agencies, and creating entrepreneurial programs to enhance workforce and economic growth.

Dr. Chaubey has enjoyed a productive and wide-ranging career as a faculty member and administrator at large, comprehensive public and land-grant universities, including over 12 years at Purdue University and seven years at the University of Arkansas.

Dr. Chaubey is an internationally recognized scholar. He has published over 500 research articles, including over 160 peer-reviewed journal articles and 190 technical papers at various conferences. He has served as the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on 55 research projects totaling over $40 million. In addition, he has directed the M.S./Ph.D. work of 31 graduate students.

Dr. Chaubey has won numerous honors and awards, including the John Deere Gold Medal from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), ADS/Hancor Soil and Water Engineering Award (ASABE), New Holland Young Researcher Award (ASABE), Purdue Agricultural Research Award, Purdue University Faculty Scholar, Seed for Success Award, and Outstanding Research Award. In addition, he is a Fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, a Fellow of the Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers, and a Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India.