| Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of Americas (NAPA) |
NAPA Research, Capacity Building, and Collaboration Committee (2026-2028)
Email: research@napaamericas.org
Co-Chair:
Santosh Dhakal, PhD
Assistant Professor
College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
Dr. Dhakal completed B.V.Sc.&A.H. from Tribhuvan University, Nepal (2011) and earned PhD in Comparative and Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University, USA (2018). Before joining KSU, he worked at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as a postdoctoral fellow and non-tenure-track faculty member (2018-2022). His research areas include infectious diseases, virus pathogenesis, vaccinology, zoonotic diseases, public health, and One Health. He is a NAPA life member and served as the treasurer of the executive committee (EC), advisor to NAPA’s Student Coordination Committee, and co-chair of the membership drive committee during the 2020–2022 term, and EC member and Chair of the Research and Capacity Building Committee between 2024 – 2026. He also served as the Secretary of NAPA’s 2nd Biennial Conference 2020; Scientific Committee Member (SCM) during the 3 rd Conference (2022); Outreach, Advertising, and Marketing Committee Lead during the 4th Conference (2024), and SCM during the 5 th Conference (2026).
Suraj Upadhaya, PhD
Assistant Professor of Sustainable Systems
Kentucky State University
Dr. Suraj Upadhaya is an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Systems at Kentucky State University, where his research and teaching focus on the relationships among people, natural resources, institutions, and environmental change. His research broadly examines sustainability and resilience in social-ecological systems, with particular emphasis on natural resource management, ecosystem services, climate adaptation, food–water–energy systems, sustainable agriculture, and community-engaged conservation. His work integrates social science, geospatial analysis, systems thinking, and participatory approaches to understand how individuals and communities make natural resource decisions and how policies, institutions, values, and environmental conditions influence those decisions. His research spans working landscapes and communities in Kentucky and the broader United States, as well as international contexts including Nepal. Current projects address topics such as agrivoltaics, agroforestry, conservation practice adoption, watershed governance, human–wildlife interactions, land-use change, and the food–water–energy nexus. Dr. Upadhaya is particularly interested in interdisciplinary and collaborative research that connects scientific knowledge with community priorities and practical decision-making. Through his research, teaching, and outreach, he seeks to develop actionable approaches that strengthen environmental stewardship, community resilience, and sustainable management of natural resources.
Members:
Sharad Paudel, PhD
Assistant Professor
Lewyt College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University, New York
Dr. Paudel completed his Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (B.V.Sc.&A.H.) and Master of Veterinary Science (M.V.Sc.) in Pharmacology from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He completed his PhD in 2015, majoring in wildlife medicine from Hokkaido University, Japan. He then moved to Michigan State University, USA, to work as a postdoctoral fellow in 2019. He has been working as an Assistant Professor at Lewyt College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University in New York since 2023. His research interests are in emerging infectious diseases at the human-animal interface. Dr. Paudel is a Life Member of NAPA.
Madhav Parajuli, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS)
Dr. Madhav Parajuli is a Plant Pathologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), where he investigates the effects of heat stress on nursery crop species and develops practical mitigation strategies. He earned his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 2023 and his M.S. in Agriculture in 2020, both from Tennessee State University. His doctoral research focused on integrated disease and pest management using cultural, biological, and chemical approaches. He also holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (2008) and an M.S. in Agronomy (2010) from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (IAAS), Tribhuvan University. Dr. Parajuli is a life member of the NAPA and has served as President of the Student Coordination Committee, a member of the Membership Drive Committee (2022–2024), and the RCBC Committee (2024–2026). He lives in McMinnville, Tennessee, with his wife and two sons. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, cooking, playing with his children, gardening, and reading.
Jasmine Neupane, PhD
Assistant Professor – Agricultural Systems Technology
University of Missouri-Columbia; Division of Plant Science and Technology
Dr. Jasmine Neupane is an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Systems Technology in the Division of Plant Science and Technology. She received her PhD from Texas Tech University, where she worked with producers in the region to explore challenges around water management in semi-arid production systems. Before starting her position at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Neupane served as an Assistant Research Professor of Precision Agriculture at Montana State University. Dr. Neupane’s research is at the forefront of agricultural innovation, focusing on seamless integration of advanced agricultural technologies into cropping systems. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to addressing the complex challenges facing modern agriculture, such as increasing food production to feed a growing population while minimizing environmental impact. Her research explores the application of digital agricultural technologies, including sensors, IoT devices, and advanced geospatial data analytics, across different elements of crop production to improve production profitability and the sustainability of agroecosystems.