Khosla appointed as dean of the CAHNRS

ELLENSBURG – Raj Khosla, a globally recognized researcher on precision agriculture with extensive leadership expertise, has been named the Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean of Washington State University’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences.

WSU Provost and Executive Vice President T. Chris Riley-Tillman announced Khosla’s selection May 14. Khosla will join the college, referred to at WSU by the acronym CAHNRS, on Sept. 1, 2025.

“President Cantwell and I are delighted to welcome Dr. Khosla to Washington State University,” said Riley-Tillman. “His visionary leadership and proven ability to guide a large academic enterprise will further strengthen CAHNRS. We are confident that under Dr. Khosla’s leadership, CAHNRS will continue its storied legacy and advance WSU’s land-grant mission of serving all people through education, research, and service.”

As the Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean, Khosla will lead CAHNRS in developing a clear vision that enhances the college’s teaching, research, Extension, and outreach initiatives. His leadership will leverage CAHNRS’s interdisciplinary expertise and past achievements to promote academic excellence, foster a dynamic research environment, and elevate its regional, national, and global impact.

“It is an honor to join WSU and have the opportunity to lead CAHNRS,” said Khosla. “CAHNRS is one of the largest and most innovative colleges at WSU. I look forward to building partnerships and initiating collaborations throughout the WSU system to develop programs with impact across the state of Washington.”

Khosla currently serves as the department head of the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University. His career spans decades of contributions to precision agriculture, including founding and serving as past president of the International Society of Precision Agriculture. His research focuses on utilizing spatial and temporal variability in agro-ecosystems to improve management decisions for producers, enhancing production, resource efficiency, and sustainability.

Khosla’s contributions to the field have earned him numerous accolades, including the Werner L. Nelson Award for Diagnosis of Yield-Limiting Factors from the American Society of Agronomy. He was named Precision Agriculture Educator of the Year in 2015 and honored as a Jefferson Science Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences in 2012. His expertise has informed national and international agricultural policy through roles such as Senior Science Advisor on Food Security to the U.S. Department of State and a member of NASA’s Presidential Advisory Board on Positioning, Navigation, and Timing. He is a Fellow of seven scientific societies, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Khosla succeeds Wendy Powers, who announced her resignation in August 2024. Scot Hulbert, CAHNRS’ senior associate dean, will serve as acting dean starting June 16, 2025, until Khosla begins his tenure in September.