The Controlled Environment Agriculture Herb Extension and Research Base (CEA HERB) team comprises experts dedicated to advancing the cultivation of culinary herbs in controlled environments.
Their collective expertise spans horticulture, plant physiology, food safety, and consumer behavior, enabling a comprehensive approach to enhancing herb production and quality.
Grace Akumu, Post Doctoral Scholar, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University
Grace Akumu is a former Ph.D. student and Graduate Research Assistant (graduated December 2025) and now a Post Doctoral Scholar at Texas Tech University in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences. She has a strong background in food science and human nutrition, with over six (6) years of experience in project management, designing, and conducting research in food safety, nutrition, and food systems. Grace received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Food Science and Technology at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. In this project, Grace will be assisting with the food safety risk assessment, mitigation strategies, and the development of food safety extension materials.
Madeline Anthony, M.S. Student, Plant Pathology, Michigan State University, Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences
Madeline holds a B.S. in Horticultural Science from Michigan State University and is currently pursuing an M.S. in Plant Pathology at MSU in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences. She is a member of Dr. Mary Hausbeck’s Plant Pathology lab, where her research focuses on the identification and management of pathogens affecting greenhouse-grown potted culinary herbs. Her goal is to support healthy herb production by developing effective disease control strategies.
Nicole Arment, former CEA Herb team member as a M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University
Nicole is a former M.S. candidate and Graduate Reasearch Assistant in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University (graduated summer 2025). Nicole’s research primarily focused on containerized culinary herb fertilization, both conventional and organic, and the effect of fertilizer (type and source, as well as the concentration of N) applied during production on plants grown for long-term consumer use in indoor settings. Her second experiment focused on the impact of N & P concentrations on the production and retail performance of containerized culinary herbs.
Bridget K. Behe, Professor Emeritus
Affiliation: Michigan State University
With Dr. Alicia Rihn, we are investigating consumer behavior with regard to culinary herbs grown in controlled environments. Our goal is to provide industry professionals with timely, useful information about consumer preferences, perceptions, and behavior with culinary herbs.
Seth Benjamin is a M.S. student and Graduate Research Assistant at Michigan State University in the Department of Horticulture. Seth received his B.S. in Horticulture at Michigan State University. Seth will investigate the effects of ultra-violet light on herbs. In addition, he will study the interactions of air temperature, root-zone temperature, and CO2 concentrations on the growth of culinary herbs.
Nama Raj Bhusal, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee
Description: Nama Raj Bhusal is a master's student currently working under Dr. Alicia Rihn and has worked on several projects addressing consumer preferences and valuation for various products. He has participated in experiments and lab settings for a survey on consumer choice of various herbs in different scenarios and data analysis. Such information can be used to identify the consumer demand for herbs and can be used by industry stakeholders to better position their herb and herb-related products.
Graduate Student Profile Page: https://utia.tennessee.edu/person/?id=205132
Dr. Jennifer Boldt, Research Horticulturist, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS)
For this project, my research group will focus on 1) modeling photosynthetic responses to environmental conditions such as light, temperature, and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, 2) evaluating supplemental silicon as a management tool for abiotic and biotic stress during production and post-harvest, and 3) evaluating crop mineral nutrition approaches to increase shelf life of potted and fresh-cut culinary herbs. More info about Jennifer’s work can be found here:
https://www.ars.usda.gov/midwest-area/wooster-oh/application-technology-research/people/jennifer-boldt/
Dr. Forrest Brown, former CEA Herb team member as a Postdoctoral Research Associate, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS)
Forrest was a postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Jennifer Boldt and her USDA-ARS team in Toledo, OH. His Ph.D. in Horticulture at Virginia Tech focused on plant nutrition and substrate fertility. Forrest worked with photosynthetic modeling in response to different lighting intensities and supplemental carbon dioxide (CO2). He also investigated the addition of silicon (Si) as a supplemental nutrient to aid in herb post-harvest storage and shelf-life longevity.
Danielle Clade, former CEA Herb team member as a M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University
Danielle is a former M.S. candidate and Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University (graduated spring 2025). Danielle investigated the development of nutrient disorders in herbs. This included the creation of photographic guides and leaf tissue nutrient standards to assist growers in diagnosing nutrient disorders.
Dr. Christopher J. Currey, Associate Professor of Horticulture, Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University
The work our research group is focusing on relates to nutrient management in both containerized living herbs, as well as hydroponic fresh-cut herbs. We will be determining how better-managing fertilization and nutrient solution management will improve quality and yield for commercial producers, as well as a better quality and longer-lasting product for consumers.
More information on Chris can be found here:
https://www.hort.iastate.edu/directory/christopher-j-currey/
Rose Elbert, M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Michigan State University
Rose Elbert is an M.S. student and graduate research assistant at Michigan State University. She earned her B.S. in Horticulture at Kansas State University in the Department of Agriculture. Rose’s M.S. work focuses on ultraviolet application for stem extension control in culinary herbs and on commercial supplemental silicon and postharvest performance of basil. Her work aims to alleviate common production and postharvest issues in herbs.
Arlene Enderton (CEA HERB Evaluator), Program Specialist II, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm, Food and Enterprise Development
Arlene is serving as the evaluator of the CEA HERB project. This includes a formative evaluation as well as an outcomes evaluation. The formative evaluation will measure trust among team members and the extent to which they coalesce around outcomes and goals. The outcomes evaluation will measure the extent to which the project reaches its goals, with a special emphasis on outreach and education.
For more information, go to: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/ffed/staff/arlene-enderton
Dr. Mary Hausbeck, University Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University
www.veggies.msu.edu
https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/mary_hausbeck
We will be assessing disease control methods for herbs for organic and conventional growers.
Samson Humphrey, Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee
Sam is determining if end-of-production lighting strategies can be used to improve culinary herb quality, yield, and post-harvest longevity.
Bridget Knight, former CEA Herb team member, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University
Bridget is a former M.S. candidate and Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University (graduated summer 2025) under the advisement of Dr. Erik Runkle. Bridget worked on developing indoor lighting guidelines (considering light spectrum and intensity) to rapidly produce high-quality seedlings of culinary herbs. Transplant performance was subsequently evaluated in the greenhouse and compared with greenhouse-propagated herbs.
Hannah Kramer, former CEA Herb team member as a M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University
Hannah is a former M.S. student and Graduate Research Assistant at Iowa State University in the Department of Horticulture. She received her B.S. in Horticulture at Iowa State University. Her research will focus on the pH of nutrient solutions for hydroponic herb production in recirculating water culture, as well as manipulating micronutrient concentrations in nutrient solutions to mitigate high pH-induced growth suppression.
Dr. Roberto Lopez, Assistant Professor of CEA, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University.
Roberto’s primary focus is investigating how photosynthetic light, temperature, and CO2 influence physiology, morphology, and development of CEA specialty crops. As a bilingual extension educator, he provides producers with research-based publications, bulletins, production guides, podcasts, webinars, and videos focused on energy-efficient production, some of which are in Spanish. Roberto has received awards for his Electronic Grower Resources outreach effort.
Dr. Alicia L. Rihn, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee
Description: Drs. Alicia Rihn and Bridget Behe are the marketing and economics team addressing consumer behavior and valuation for fresh culinary herbs. Their goal is to assess how U.S. markets respond to different fresh herb characteristics and factors that influence their preferences for fresh herbs. In turn, this information can be used by industry stakeholders and assist in generating effective marketing strategies. Additional information about Dr. Rihn’s program and lab can be found at:
Faculty Profile Page: https://utia.tennessee.edu/person/?id=19973
R.E.M. Lab: https://remlab.tennessee.edu/
Carlos Rosales, former CEA Herb team member, was a M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee Knoxville (graduated May 2025). Carlos undertook a multifaceted role within the SCRI CEA Herb group, contributing to research, data management, and analysis. As part of his Master's thesis, he played a role in data collection and analysis using data derived from surveys and discrete choice experiments. He aided in facilitating in-depth analysis of customer preferences for culinary herbs within the U.S. market.
Carlos worked closely with the team under the supervision of Dr. Alicia Rihn and having collaborated with Dr. Bridget Behe, he contributed in developing valuable insights that inform industry stakeholders and support the formulation of effective marketing strategies tailored to meet consumer demands.
Erik Runkle (CEA HERB co-PD)
Professor and Extension Specialist
Department of Horticulture
Michigan State University
Together with Bridget Knight, we are identifying indoor lighting guidelines to produce high-quality herbs as transplants, which can potentially also be applied to cuts. We are targeting blue and far-red light to maximize growth while maintaining a compact growth habit.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/dr_erik_runkle
https://www.canr.msu.edu/floriculture/resources
https://scri-optimia.org
Dr. Angela Shaw, Professor, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University.
In this project, my research group will be conducting food research risk assessment and developing food safety mitigation strategies for the herb industry. I will also be developing research based food safety extension materials (such as publications, production guides, webinars, magazine articles, and extension publications) and mentoring a PhD graduate student
Avery Tucker, former CEA Herb team member, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University
Avery Tucker is a former M.S. candidate and Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University (graduated spring 2026) under the advisement of Dr. Erik Runkle. Their research objective was to quantify how vapor-pressure deficit (VPD) influences growth and morphology of culinary herb seedlings in controlled-environment production.
Premsai Verranki is a Master’s student and Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at Texas Tech University. He brings a strong foundation in horticulture, having earned his B.Sc. in Horticulture from Dr. Y.S.R. Horticultural University in Andhra Pradesh, India. His research focuses on evaluating food safety risks associated with Listeria monocytogenes in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) herbs, with an emphasis on how different packaging conditions influence safety under retail storage environments.
Dr. Kellie Walters, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee (Co-PD)
My research group will be investigating the interaction of air and nutrient solution temperature and end-of-production lighting on growth, morphology, post-harvest longevity, photosynthesis, consumer sensory preference (with Rihn and Behe), and volatile aroma compounds in culinary herbs. Undergraduate students are also determining optimal sowing densities and how long seedlings can be germinated in the dark. We will identify strategies to cost-effectively grow high-quality herbs.
Dr. Brian Whipker, Professor of Floriculture, Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University
Herb growers face uncertainty when diagnosing nutrient disorders of culinary herbs. In this project, M.S. student Danielle Clade will be the lead investigator in inducing nutrient disorders in herbs and then using that information to develop photographic guides and leaf tissue nutrient standards to help growers in determining nutrient problems.