Saied Mostaghimi reappointed H.E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin Professor

Saied Mostaghimi

Saied Mostaghimi

BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 23, 2010 – Saied Mostaghimi, professor, director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, was recently reappointed as the H.E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The professorship was established in 1995 through the gifts of the Col. Horace E. Alphin, a member of the Virginia Tech Class of 1934, and his wife, Elizabeth, to further the scholarly endeavors in the area of agriculture and life sciences. The term of the professorship is five years.

Mostaghimi’s research career is dedicated to the investigation of the conservation of natural resources and the minimization of non-point-source pollution, which has produced a body of scholarship internationally recognized for its excellence and innovation. His research is used as the basis for standards used in agricultural and urban non-point source pollution control programs.

Mostaghimi has continued to demonstrate outstanding abilities as a educator and scholar through his mentorship of graduate students and research program. In recent years, Mostaghimi received awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ASABE) and Soil and Water Conservation Society. He also received the university’s Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate Advising and Alumni Award for Excellence in Outreach, as well as the Natural Resources and Environmental Management Flagship Award and the ASABE Fellow Award.

In 2009, Mostaghimi was appointed the associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station.

Mostaghimi received his bachelor of science degree from Pahlavi University in Iran and master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Nationally ranked among the top research institutions of its kind, Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences focuses on the science and business of living systems through learning, discovery, and engagement. The college’s comprehensive curriculum gives more than 3,100 students in a dozen academic departments a balanced education that ranges from food and fiber production to economics to human health. Students learn from the world’s leading agricultural scientists, who bring the latest science and technology into the classroom.