Rate My Professor Jonathan Cumming

Dr. Jonathan R. Cumming is Chair and Professor in the Department of Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a role he assumed on July 1, 2020. Bringing over 30 years of experience in academia, he previously served as Professor of Biology at West Virginia University from 1995 to 2020. At WVU, his teaching and research focused on plant acclimation to environmental stresses and the role of microbial symbionts in mediating stress tolerance in plants, supporting the production of food, fiber, and biofuels on marginal soils. Cumming earned his Ph.D. in natural resources from Cornell University, Master of Science in forest science from the University of New Hampshire, and Bachelor of Science in botany and plant biology from the College of William and Mary.

At UMES, within the School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, Cumming leads the department recognized as a keystone STEM unit and directs the Root Systems Biology Lab. His research investigates bioenergy feedstocks viability under climate challenges, including eastern cottonwood trees, nine genotypes of genetically modified poplar hybrids engineered for increased soil carbon deposition and drought resistance, switchgrass, and Maryland cover crops. A U.S. Department of Energy-funded project with the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory evaluates over 200 transgenic trees planted three years ago at UMES’s Research, Extension and Teaching Farm, tracking growth, carbon storage patterns above and below ground amid varying temperature, rainfall, and salinity. In a USDA-NRCS Climate Smart grant collaboration with the University of Maryland and Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, his team enhances biogas production via anaerobic digestion of chicken litter using switchgrass and cover crops, boosting efficiency and nutrient stability. Additional studies address saltwater intrusion threats to Chesapeake Bay coastal ecosystems, including fieldwork in the Monie Bay ghost forest, and drought effects on switchgrass. These efforts secure substantial federal funding, advancing sustainable agriculture, carbon sequestration, and biofuel development on the Delmarva Peninsula.