COMMERCE, Texas - Dr. Arun Goyal has joined Texas A&M University-Commerce as biology department head.

Born in Agra, India, just two miles away from the Taj Mahal, Goyal is a renowned plant biologist.

His first love was politics, but his father steered him towards a career in plant and agricultural sciences.

"This was his wish for me," Goyal says.

He studied to master's level in India, moving to Australia to earn his doctorate from Wollongong University near Sydney.  He came to the U.S from Australia, joining Michigan State University in East Lansing, where he served as an assistant research professor for about nine years and "was part of the genomic revolution" when genomes, which comprise the entire collection of genes of an organism, were mapped.

He moved to the University of Minnesota-Duluth with several graduate faculty appointments in the Graduate School of the University of Minnesota - including plant biology and biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology - before eventually leaving to serve at East Tennessee State University.

"I was attracted to Texas A&M University-Commerce by the vision and energy of the leadership," says Goyal, who has amassed more than a million dollars in research grants during his career.   "The provost is new, the dean of arts and sciences is new, and several department heads are also new. Everyone is very excited and focused about making A&M-Commerce even better."

While he has been involved in many research projects as part of the genomic revolution, his current interest is in researching the mechanism whereby carbon dioxide in air and water is transported to chloroplasts.

One of his goals is to improve the biomass production of plants like soybeans that lack an active transportation mechanism to obtain carbon dioxide.

The long-term goal of this program is to improve biomass production that may help farmers add more value to their crops.

"My general research mission is to understand the basic mechanisms in plant systems.  "I identify novel genes for producing or developing new plants for higher biomass production, genes that improve environmental stress tolerance and that add value to existing crop plants in a manner that is environmentally safe and beneficial to mankind," Goyal says.

He is the chair of International Affairs for the American Society of Plant Biology, serving on its executive committee, and the editor of four scientific peer-reviewed journals in modern plant sciences.

A humanist, Goyal says that everyone deserves the highest respect irrespective of position. "I want to make a positive difference in people's lives. That pleases me.

"I believe that anyone who serves the people of Texas should be available. My door is always open and my cellphone is always on," he says.

IDENTIFYING NOVEL GENES - Dr. Arun Goyal has joined Texas A&M University-Commerce as biology department head. Born in Agra, India, just two miles away from the Taj Mahal, Goyal is a renowned plant biologist who was part of the genomic revolution.  (A&M-Commerce photo/Craig Buck)