Sen Subramanian named dean of SDSU College of Natural Sciences

Indian American professor at South Dakota State University has held leadership roles in multiple federally funded research centers

By Arun Kumar

Indian American professor Sen Subramanian has taken over as dean of the College of Natural Sciences at South Dakota State University from Jan 6 after his selection following a national search.

He has been serving as interim dean since June 2024 and associate dean for research in the College of Natural Sciences since 2022. He joined SDSU as a faculty member in 2009.

READ: Suhas Subramanyam expands ‘Samosa Caucus’ (January 6th, 2025)

“I am very excited to have Dr. Subramanian continue his career at South Dakota State University as our next dean of the College of Natural Sciences,” said Dennis Hedge, provost and vice president for academic affairs at SDSU.

“Dr. Subramanian has proven himself to be a strong and collaborative leader. Throughout the search process, his articulated vision for the college and philosophies on interdisciplinary education and research set him apart as the right person to lead our College of Natural Sciences as we pursue our goal of designation as an R1 university as recognized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education for having the highest levels of research activity,” Hedge said.

Subramanian added, “I am so pleased and grateful for the opportunity to lead this wonderful college with a lot of talent. My goal is to help our amazing team of students, faculty and staff lead natural sciences education and research in and for the region.”

Subramanian has held leadership roles in multiple federally funded research centers and was instrumental in the formation of two current National Science Foundation-funded research centers at SDSU.

His research program on symbiotic nitrogen fixation with the long-term goal of improving farm profits and reducing environmental damage from excessive nitrogen fertilizer use has been supported by competitive research grant awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, National Science Foundation and South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, among other agencies, totaling to $9.3 million.

Subramanian has published 60 peer-reviewed scholarly articles that have been cited more than 4,500 times and has trained 22 graduate students and 26 undergraduate research students.

Subramanian earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture and his master’s in biotechnology, both in India. He earned his doctorate in biology from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and his postdoctoral training at the Danforth Plant Science Center and Washington University in St. Louis.

He has been recognized with invited visiting professorships, the F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in Research, placement on the Fulbright specialist roster and the National Science Foundation CAREER award.