Meet NHAES Staff & Researchers

Meet the staff and researchers who keep your NH Agricultural Experiment Station running!

 

Who are the people conducting research at NHAES, organizing the studies, recording the data, and maintaining the facilities? They work across the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture – in each of the departments – and they serve in a range of capacities, as full- and part-time staff or faculty, as undergraduate or graduate student researchers, and as postdoctoral fellows and associates. Below, we’ve highlighted just a few of the NHAES staff and researchers working at your Ag Station!

NHAES Staff

A photo of UNH Greenhouse Manager Matt Biondi standing among cucurbit plants at the greenhouses
Matt Biondi, Greenhouse Manager
UNH Macfarlane Research Greenhouses
Matt Biondi brings a lifelong passion for mindfully using our natural resources to his role as manager of UNH’s MacFarlane Research Greenhouses.
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UNH Equine Center manager Erin Morgan-Paugh stands in front of a fence at a horse paddock at UNH.
Erin Morgan-Paugh DVM, Farm Manager
UNH Equine Facilities
UNH’s Equine Facilities manager Erin Morgan-Paugh comes to the university with 10 years of teaching experience in an equine program.
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A photo of staff farm worker Luke Pacchioli standing in a field with cows.
Luke Pacchioli, Lead Farm Worker
UNH COLSA Farms
Luke Pacchioli serves as a lead farmer worker for all the COLSA farms, as well as the Macfarlane Research Greenhouses.
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A photo of Rachel Dubanoski with a cow at Fairchild Dairy and Research Center
Rachel Dubanoski ’15, Assistant Farm Manager
UNH Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center
Rachel Dubanoski ’15 earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems with a focus on Dairy Management from the University of New Hampshire before working in the dairy industry in Vermont. In 2021, she came back to New Hampshire and was hired on as assistant farm manager at…
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UNH Organic Dairy Research Farm manager Jason Scruton leans against a tree.
Jason Scruton ’00, Farm Manager
UNH Organic Dairy Research Farm
Jason Scruton, a longtime New Hampshire dairy farmer, joined UNH as the manager of the Organic Dairy Research Farm.
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A photo of UNH farm manager Evan Ford standing in a field at the Woodman Horticultural Research Farm.
Evan Ford ’96, Farm Manager
UNH Woodman Horticultural Research Farm and Kingman Research Farm
UNH farm manager Evan Ford pursued a career in farming and horticulture, which eventually led him to UNH, after seeing the importance and value of food production overseas.
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A photo of NHAES scientist Renee Goyette standing in a pumpkin patch at UNH's Kingman Farm
Renee Goyette, Research Technician
UNH Farm Services/Department of Biological Sciences
New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station research technician Renee Goyette spent years running her own farm and selling produce at local farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations, and restaurants before she began working at UNH with the late UNH researcher and…
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A photo of Fairchild dairy farm manager Jon Whitehouse standing with his dog Dixie.
Jon Whitehouse ’84, Farm Manager
UNH Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center
Jon Whitehouse, manager of the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, has spent close to four decades running this conventional dairy farm and research center located at the University of New Hampshire.
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UNH woodlands manager Steve Eisenhaure stands holding his chainsaw with tree cookies in front of him while at the UNH Sawmill.
Steve Eisenhaure ’97, Land Use Coordinator
UNH Office of Woodlands & Natural Areas
UNH woodlands manager Steve Eisenhaure ’97 oversees the Office of Woodlands and Natural Areas, teaches forest management at UNH and has been recognized for his work supporting and advancing New England’s forestry industry.
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A photo of Fairchild Dairy lead farm worker Tim Cahill. Tim is a white male. In the photo, he has dark brown hair. He wears a black longsleeve shirt, a tan vest and blue jeans. He holds a length of rope tied around the nose of a white and brown calf.
Tim Cahill ’21, Lead Farm Worker
Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center
Fairchild Dairy lead farm worker Tim Cahill '21 joined the team at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station in 2022—a little over a year after graduating from UNH with a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. No stranger to working with large animals, Tim worked at the Connolly Brothers…
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A photo of carpenter Curtis Johnson working with a router on a piece of wood at the UNH Durham campus
Curtis Johnson, Finish Carpenter
New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station
COLSA and NHAES finish carpenter Curtis Johnson got his start working in construction and carpentry in the New Hampshire seacoast area in 1987. In 2007, he joined COLSA as a part-time carpenter. Now, on any given day, you’ll likely find him engaged in a new task around campus, whether it’s breaking…
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A photo showing a white woman with long blond hair and a pink shirt standing outside in front of granite steps, grass, trees and a brick building in the background.
Catherine Armstrong, Research Project Manager
New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station
NHAES research project manager Catherine Armstrong began working at UNH as an accountant in 2013. During that time, she became familiar with federal grant funding programs, including those run by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). So, when the opportunity came to join the…
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NHAES Researchers

  • UNH student Isabelle Lopez
    Isabelle Lopez '23
    Learning How to Protect Our Natural Resources
    Isabelle Lopez is a wildlife and conservation biology major with a geospatial analysis minor who received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) to study the use of drones to monitor and protect natural resources. 
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  • UNH student Kennedy McGrath
    Kennedy McGrath '25
    Learning how to use solutions-based research to protect oceans
    Kennedy McGrath is a dual major in marine, estuarine and freshwater biology and sustainability with a minor in marine policy. Kennedy conducts research on marine plastic pollution, and she is currently being mentored by Taja Sims-Harper, a doctoral candidate in the marine biology Ph.D. program.
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  • UNH Assistant Professor Jeff Garnas
    Jeff Garnas
    Protecting Forests on an Interconnected and Changing Planet
    Jeff Garnas says that the planet's forests face serious problems due to climate change and a global trade system that make possible the spread of insects and pathogens.
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  • UNH master's degree student Sophie Kenny
    Sophie Kenny '19, '20G, '22G
    Diving into Diet and Mental Health
    Sophie Kenny '19, '20G, '22G earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition: nutrition and wellness and a graduate certificate in the didactic program in dietetics from UNH and is now a master’s student in nutritional sciences at the university.
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  • Mary Kate Munley '21
    Kate Munley '21
    COLSA student follows her passion for the sea
    Mary Kate Munley's love of the sea has motivated her work monitoring Loggerhead sea turtles nesting along the coast of Florida and studying the state’s stone crab population.
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UNH student Isabelle Lopez
Isabelle Lopez '23
Learning How to Protect Our Natural Resources
Isabelle Lopez is a wildlife and conservation biology major with a geospatial analysis minor who received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) to study the use of drones to monitor and protect natural resources. 
Learn More
UNH student Kennedy McGrath
Kennedy McGrath '25
Learning how to use solutions-based research to protect oceans
Kennedy McGrath is a dual major in marine, estuarine and freshwater biology and sustainability with a minor in marine policy. Kennedy conducts research on marine plastic pollution, and she is currently being mentored by Taja Sims-Harper, a doctoral candidate in the marine biology Ph.D. program.
Learn More
UNH Assistant Professor Jeff Garnas
Jeff Garnas
Protecting Forests on an Interconnected and Changing Planet
Jeff Garnas says that the planet's forests face serious problems due to climate change and a global trade system that make possible the spread of insects and pathogens.
Learn More
UNH master's degree student Sophie Kenny
Sophie Kenny '19, '20G, '22G
Diving into Diet and Mental Health
Sophie Kenny '19, '20G, '22G earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition: nutrition and wellness and a graduate certificate in the didactic program in dietetics from UNH and is now a master’s student in nutritional sciences at the university.
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Mary Kate Munley '21
Kate Munley '21
COLSA student follows her passion for the sea
Mary Kate Munley's love of the sea has motivated her work monitoring Loggerhead sea turtles nesting along the coast of Florida and studying the state’s stone crab population.
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UNH environmental conservation and sustainability major Vincent Pagano '20
Vincent Pagano ‘20
Enticed by environment, economics and opportunity
Vincent Pagano ’20 is an environmental conservation and sustainability major and economics minor from Epsom, New Hampshire. At UNH, Vincent has forged a challenging and…
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David Mortensen, ANFS Dept Chair
David Mortensen
Accomplished researcher and educator brings strong background in sustainable farming systems
Find out what David Mortensen thinks about his new role at COLSA, what lead him to his career as a researcher and educator, and why finding sustainable ways to feed the world is more important than ever.
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Bonnie Brown, professor and Biological Sciences Department Chair
Bonnie Brown
Accomplished Researcher Heading the Department of Biological Sciences
Bonnie Brown, who comes to UNH from Virginia Commonwealth University, works in the field of ecological genetics. Her research involves metagenomics and molecular markers has important applications in the areas of conservation, restoration and aquaculture.
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