Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Daniel B. Reynolds, a distinguished Mississippi State weed science professor, has been appointed interim associate vice president for international programs and executive director of the university’s International Institute. 

Reynolds, who has held the Edgar E. and Winifred B. Hartwig Endowed Chair in Soybean Agronomy in MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, begins his new appointment Thursday [April 16].  

Reynolds will lead International Institute units that include the English Language Institute, International Services, and the Study Abroad and International Student Exchange programs, as well as promoting international collaborations in research and outreach. The International Institute reports to MSU’s provost and executive vice president, vice president for research and economic development, and vice president for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.  

Since 2015, Reynolds has played a key role in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Soybean Value Chain Research. He led demonstration farms in Africa to share proper agronomic practices, a concept similar to extension stations in Mississippi and across the U.S. 

“Dr. Reynolds is ideally suited for this position,” said MSU Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw. “He has provided strong leadership with the USAID-funded Soybean Innovation Lab, seeing it grow from one to six countries on the African continent. He also has administrative experience as interim department head, thus can easily step into this leadership role.” 

In addition to his departmental roles, Reynolds has served as a cropping systems researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and an agronomy specialist for the MSU Extension Service. 

“As a university with connections across the globe, MSU has many exciting international partnerships and collaborations,” said MSU Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan. “The International Institute plays a critical role in growing our global reach, and I am excited to have Dr. Reynolds leading these efforts.” 

Among Reynolds’ many professional accolades, he was named scientist of the year by the Southern Weed Science Society of America in 2012 and received the organization’s distinguished service award in 2014. Before being appointed to the Hartwig Chair, he was the Dr. Glover B. Triplett Endowed Chair in Agronomy. He is a doctoral graduate in crop science from Oklahoma State University, with bachelor's and master's degrees completed at the University of Arkansas. 

As a National Science Foundation Top 100 and Carnegie Foundation R1 “Very High Research Activity” university, MSU leads impactful global research efforts reaching all seven continents. The university’s prominent research activities enable fruitful international partnerships that bring people together from around the world to develop solutions to universal problems. For more on MSU’s global initiatives, visit www.international.msstate.edu. 

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.