Richard Horsley has been appointed chair of North Dakota State University’s Plant Sciences Department.

Horsley has been the NDSU six-rowed barley breeder in the Plant Sciences Department since July 1988. He also took over the two-rowed barley breeding program in 2006 after the retirement of Jerry Franckowiak.

“Dr. Horsley’s breadth of experiences at NDSU, stellar performance as a scientist and mentor to students and his knowledge of North Dakota agriculture will serve the university well as he leads the Plant Sciences Department,” says Ken Grafton, NDSU College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources dean and director of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. “We are very pleased that Dr. Horsley has agreed to serve in this capacity at this time.”

Horsley will serve as chair of the Plant Sciences Department for a term of 12 to 18 months.

Horsley earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from the University of Minnesota in 1983. He received a master's degree in agronomy from NDSU in 1985 and a doctorate in crop and weed sciences (plant breeding) from NDSU in 1988.

His research has concentrated on the release and development of six-rowed and two-rowed malting barley cultivars acceptable to barley producers in North Dakota and the malting and brewing industries. Additionally, Horsley’s research works to identify genes affecting economically important traits by using molecular mapping techniques.

Horsley will continue to oversee the barley breeding program during his term as chair of the department.

NDSU Agriculture Communication