Rate My Professor Sakthi S. Kumaran

Sakthi S. Kumaran, Research Associate Professor of Soil Science and Agronomy in the Agricultural Research and Development Program at Central State University, holds a Ph.D. in Environment and Natural Resources from The Ohio State University, awarded in 2007, with a thesis titled 'Application of Machine Learning for Soil Survey Updates: A Case Study in Central Ohio.' He earned his B.S. in Agriculture and M.S. in Agriculture from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. At Central State University, part of the John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture and the 1890 Land-Grant Programs, Kumaran serves as an Associate Professor based in C207 Emery Hall. He has held roles such as Interim Associate Director of the Agricultural Research Development Program and Interim Associate Extension Administrator for CSU Extension. His career includes contributions to soil science research since joining Central State University around 2018, progressing from Assistant Professor of Soil Science and Agronomy.

Kumaran's research specializations encompass digital soil mapping, pedology, soil fertility, water quality, and watershed hydrology, reflected in his Google Scholar profile with 754 citations. Key publications include 'Hybrid spatiotemporal modeling of nutrient cycling in agroecosystems' (Scientific Reports, 2026, co-authored with Eric Ariel L. Salas, Kellsie Schrack, and Robert Bennett), 'Integration of Google Earth Engine, Sentinel-2 images, and terrain attributes for digital mapping of soil organic carbon' (Scientific Reports, 2025, co-authored with Salas et al.), and contributions to studies on soil health and climate mitigation. He has been involved in securing major grants, such as a $10 million USDA award for climate-smart agriculture led by The Ohio State University and a $1 million DOE grant for climate mitigation research at Central State University. Kumaran testified before the Ohio House Agriculture Committee in support of HB 568 on soil health in 2024-2025 and participates in conferences like the Conservation Tillage & Technology Conference. His work advances agricultural sustainability, nutrient cycling modeling, and soil health practices in Ohio's agroecosystems.