Dr. Madhurababu Kunta was born in Machilipatnam, India. He received Bachelor of Science in agricultural sciences from Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, India and Post-Graduate Diploma in planning and project Management from University of Hyderabad, India. He worked as a sales officer at East India Distilleries (EID) Parry India Ltd and United Phosphorus Ltd. Later, he worked as a production officer at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a global leader in hybrid seed development, focusing on corn, rice, and pearl millet. After moving to the United States, he completed Master of Science degree at Texas A&M University–Kingsville and earned a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University–College Station.
Dr. Kunta published 53 peer-reviewed papers, 4 book chapters, 2 refereed proceedings, several news articles, and gave over 150 presentations at regional, national, and international scientific conferences. Several students mentored by Dr. Kunta received outstanding graduate student awards. He has been actively involved in collaborative research projects totaling over $37 million in funding, with $5 million directly supporting his research projects. He received faculty research awards in 2017 and 2020. He served as the President of Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society during 2018-19 and currently serves as the Treasurer. He serves as an Editor of Springer aBIOTECH journal (An International Journal on Plant Biotechnology and Agricultural Sciences) and Managing Editor of Subtropical Agriculture and Environments. He co-edited Disease Control Strategies in Citrus Plants, a special issue in Plants journal and served as a Senior Editor of the Journal of Plant Disease Sciences during 2020-2022.
Dr. Kunta serves as an adjunct graduate faculty, Plant–Associated Microorganisms / Plant Health (Horticulture, MEPS) in the Department of Horticulture, Texas A&M-College Station. He teaches a graduate level course Practical Applications of Plant Biotechnology. He oversees a USDA-certified diagnostics laboratory and a molecular biology laboratory at the Citrus Center. Kunta’s research interests include plant pathology, pathogen identification and diagnostics, biotechnology, and disease management.
Madhurababu-Kunta Curriculum Vita
Texas A&M University-Kingsville Citrus Center
312 N. International Blvd.
Weslaco, TX 78599
Voice: (956) 447-3369
Fax: (956) 969-0649
Madhura.kunta@tamuk.edu
