Zachary Easton named H. E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Zachary Easton, professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist, has been named the H.E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The H.E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin Professorship was established in 1995 through a gift from Col. Horace E. Alphin, a member of the Virginia Tech Class of 1934, and his wife, Elizabeth, to further scholarly endeavors in the area of agriculture and life sciences. The term of the professorship is five years, with the potential for reappointment.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2011, Easton’s scholarship focuses on hydrology, water quality, water management, and non-point source pollution. His work has achieved enduring impacts in applications including best management practices for Virginia agriculture, the enhancement of the Chesapeake Bay, and the protection of the watershed that provides drinking water to New York City. As a result of this purposeful integration of research and extension responsibilities, Easton has achieved broad changes in policy and practice along a large area of the Eastern Seaboard, to the present and future benefit of millions of residents.
A prolific researcher, Easton has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles and more than 200 abstracts, Extension publications, and other scholarly publications. He has achieved this level of consistent productivity through funding from highly competitive sources that have included the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Production Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, as well as many regional and state funding agencies.
Easton has supervised 17 graduate students, four postdoctoral associates, and many undergraduate students he formally taught or mentored as part of their respective research projects. He has been recognized with numerous professional awards including the Universities Council on Water Resources Mid-Career Award for Applied Research, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Excellence in Applied Research Award, College of Engineering Outstanding Assistant Professor, and five National Distinction designations.
Easton received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Cornell University.
