Roger P. Kaiser Ph.D. "80"

Kaiser, who graduated in Plant Pathology, College of Agricultural Sciences, is a product development and project manager at Valent BioSciences Corporation (VBC) in Libertyville, Illinois. At VBC, he is responsible for the scientific justification for the expansion of the VBC's plant growth regulator products and the nematicide, DiTera. This global effort includes arranging for demonstration trials, testing on new crop varieties, determining new uses and product life-cycle managment.There has been significant consolidation in the agicultural industry over the last twenty years, and most people in the industry have worked for several different companies, in addition to working for the same compay under different names. Dr. Kaiser is no exception. He has been a product development manager for fungicides and a field development representative working with a wide variety of crops. Dr.Kaiser has experience in many phases of new product discovery and deveopment, conducting field trials, supervising field research, and managing a screening operation for discovery of new fungicides.

Dr. Kaiser has chaired several standing committees of the American Phytopathological Society and other professional organizations, won awards for discovery and development of new products, and served as president of North American Fungicide Resistance Action Committee. He has been a frequent invited speaker to professional groups and to grower meetings, and has conducted several workshops for graduate students on career development.

Dr. Kaiser earned a bachelor of science degree in education at Kansas State Universiy and taught secondary school for two years, before returning to Kansas State for a master's degree in plant pathology with a focus on virus diseases. His thesis work on Fusarium stalk rot of corn was completed under the direction of Dr. P.E. Nelson of the Fusarium Research Center.