Kumar Venkitanarayanan, Ph.D.

CAHNR Dean and Director

Dr. Kumar Venkitanarayanan serves as Dean and Director in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR). Before taking this role, he served as the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education, and Associate Director of the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station.  

As the Dean in CAHNR, Dr. Kumar Venkitanarayanan provides strategic leadership and administrative oversight for CAHNR, which comprises of nine departments, 17 undergraduate majors and 23 minors, 18 graduate programs, and 12 interdisciplinary research and clinical centers. The college has 194 faculty, 111 staff, and over 2,400 undergraduate and 550 graduate students. Research is coordinated through the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station, while the Cooperative Extension System, including the Connecticut Sea Grant and eight regional centers deliver outreach and education in all 169 Connecticut towns.

As an accomplished researcher and administrator, Dr. Venkitanarayanan provided leadership for CAHNR’s research mission and graduate education for eight years. Dr. Venkitanarayanan launched several initiatives, including the competitive Capacity seed grant program, major equipment/data set grant competition, exploratory research grant program, mentor shadowing grant program for early career faculty, and diversity enhancing graduate assistantship program. During his leadership tenure, the College accomplished 100% growth in extramural funding and 60% increase in graduate student enrollment.

As a veterinarian trained in livestock production, food safety, and microbiology, Dr. Venkitanarayanan’s research investigates the efficacy of plant-derived molecules and probiotics for attenuating virulence and antibiotic resistance in human and veterinary pathogens and reducing their colonization in poultry for improving food safety. Having been successful in garnering over $17.5 million as PI and $35 million as Co-PI in competitive funding, Dr. Venkitanarayanan has published 139 peer-reviewed journal manuscripts, 33 book chapters, 138 conference presentations, and characterized five new bacterial genes besides giving 61 invited talks. Dr. Venkitanarayanan serves on the editorial boards of multiple journals, including his position as Academic Editor in PLOS One.

Dr. Venkitanarayanan has mentored over 90 personnel in his laboratory, including 25 graduate students, 5 postdoctoral scientists and 60 undergraduate student researchers.

Dr. Venkitanarayanan is the recipient of several accolades, including the Fellow of Institute of Food Technologists, Research Excellence and Creativity Award (Science), University of Connecticut, Evonik Degussa Award for outstanding research in Poultry Science for a period of seven years, Poultry Science Association, Food Microbiology Division award, Institute of Food Technologists, Research Excellence Award, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, UConn, and Gamma Sigma Delta Faculty Award of Merit, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, UConn.