Luke Gatiboni

Professor and Extension Soil Fertility Specialist

Luke Gatiboni received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agronomy and his Ph.D. in Soil Science from the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil. Prior to joining NC State University in 2019, he spent 15 years as a professor of Soil Fertility at Santa Catarina State University in Brazil. At NC State, Dr. Gatiboni leads research, applied research, and extension programs focused on soil fertility and nutrient management in row crops, with particular emphasis on improving and updating fertilizer recommendations for North Carolina.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-gatiboni-109a4b67/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mA0aUPNi8_wC&hl=en

Contact information: [email protected]  / 3403D Williams Hall

 

Wesley Childres

Agricultural Research Technician

Wes has a B.S. degree in Soil Conservation with a minor in Geology from NCSU (1992). He worked as a Hydrogeological Technician (NCDENR, 1994-1999) and joined NC State University as an Agricultural Research Technician in 1999. He joined our group in July 2019.

Contact information: [email protected]  / 3404A Williams Hall

 

Dionata (John) Filippi

Postdoc – University of Arkansas and North Carolina State University

John works on the FRST project: https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/first-of-its-kind/. John has a B.S. degree in Agronomy and an MS in Soil Science from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. John’s project focuses on redefining P and K critical soil test values for North Carolina soils. He joined our group in January 2023.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dionata-filippi-081956125/

Graduate Students

Arindam Mandal

Ph.D Student

Arindam Mandal is a Ph.D. student in Soil Science at North Carolina State University, working with Dr. Luke Gatiboni. His research focuses on soil fertility and nutrient management, particularly how calcium and magnesium management and liming strategies affect soil properties, crop productivity, and resilience to environmental stress. He combines field and greenhouse experiments with soil and plant analyses, root phenotyping, and drone-based remote sensing to investigate soil–plant interactions. Arindam earned his M.S. in Sustainable Agriculture from Lincoln University of Missouri. His broader interests include soil health, precision agriculture, and climate-resilient crop production.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arindam-mandal-8a68411aa/

Contact information: [email protected]

Garrett Johnson 

MS Student

Garrett Johnson is an MS student in Soil Sciences at North Carolina State University under the advisement of Dr. Luke Gatiboni and Dr. David Suchoff. His research focuses on soil fertility in row crop production, looking at fine-ground basalt rock for its lime equivalency and nutrient release in organic cropping systems. His research focuses on a lab incubation study and field research plots looking at agricultural lime and basalt at various application rates, trying to determine basalt’s effects through soil testing of various soil types, plant tissue analysis, grain analysis, near-infrared spectroscopy of grain, and yield. Garrett received his Bachelor’s in Crop and Soil Sciences-Agronomy with a minor in Agribusiness Management from NCSU. 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrettjohnson-agronomy/

Contact Information: [email protected]

Mariana Martins

MS Student

Mariana Grando Martins is an MS student in Soil Sciences at North Carolina State University under the advisement of Dr. Luke Gatiboni. Her research is evaluating the economic return of phosphorus and potassium fertilization in North Carolina, using machine learning techniques and data from long-term and short-term trials. Mariana received her Bachelor’s in Agronomy from the University of Passo Fundo, in Brazil. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianagmartins/

Contact Information: [email protected]

Rae Adeimy

MS Student

Rae is working on the maintenance of three long-term soil test calibration trials to define critical levels of phosphorus and potassium for soybean and corn in North Carolina. The data from these trials will be used to evaluate and update fertilizer recommendations for corn and soybean.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rae-adeimy-09513a33a/

Contact Information: [email protected]

Alena Jones

Ph.D. Student

Alena began her Ph.D. work in May 2024 and is co-advised by Drs. Gatiboni and Duckworth. Her research investigates the impact of metals associated with phosphate fertilizers on an agricultural system. This project involves a 70-year field trial to better understand the long-term effects of fertilizer application and how metals move through and behave in soil, crops (maize and soybean), and groundwater. Understanding the fate and behavior of these metals is vital for assessing potential risks to human and animal health and developing ways to mitigate metal exposure. Alena holds an M.Sc. in Soil Science from NC State and a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from UNC Greensboro. Outside of the lab and field, she enjoys rock climbing, running, and spending time outdoors.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alena-jones-b268a6165/

Contact Information: [email protected].

Naduni Sandupama Herath

MS Student

Naduni is an MS student in Crop and Soil Sciences, joining NC State in August 2026 and co-advised by Dr. Gatiboni and Dr. Heitman. She earned a First-Class Honours BSc in Agricultural Resource Management and Technology (Soil Science) from the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, with a background in soil physics, soil chemistry, and soil carbon dynamics. Her project, the Rapid Soil Acidity and Lime-rate Recommendation Tool (R-SALT), addresses a practical problem for the North Carolina Department of Transportation: lab results take too long to come back, so a standard 4,000 lb/acre of lime is applied to all roadside soils, which can lead to under- or over-liming. She is calibrating the NCDA Mehlich buffer method and a low-toxicity alternative for construction-site soils and using them to develop a portable field kit and lime-rate calculator that give site-specific recommendations in real time.
LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/sandupama-herath-44762a252

Contact Information: [email protected]

Undergraduate Research Assistants

 Tori Davis

Tori is a student at NC State University majoring in Agricultural Business Management. She is currently assisting our group in field and laboratory activities.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torifdavis/

Dalton Jordan 

Dalton is a student at NC State University majoring in Agricultural Science. He is currently assisting our group in field and laboratory activities.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalton-jordan-1b0083337/

 Julia Chen

Julia is a student at NC State University majoring in Biology. She is currently assisting our group in field and laboratory activities.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-seriguchichen-62861b335/