Pradip Poudel

I am Dr. Pradip Poudel, a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Food Science at The Pennsylvania State University. My research sits at the intersection of crop physiology, controlled environment agriculture (CEA), plant metabolomics, and agronomic biofortification. I design and execute multifactor experiments that link environmental conditions, nutrient management, and production systems to crop yield, nutritional quality, and metabolite profiles, with the goal of developing practical, evidence-based solutions for growers and food systems.

My doctoral work at Penn State focused on zinc biofortification of microgreens using seed priming and fertigation strategies, integrating metabolomics, mineral analysis, and in-vitro bioaccessibility assays. In my current postdoctoral role, I lead a multi-state grapevine scion–rootstock research program at Penn State examining genotype × environment interactions, berry chemistry, and wine volatile profiles using GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS, and UPLC. I have published 12+ peer-reviewed articles, 2 book chapters, and delivered 3 invited Extension talks. I have mentored 10+ undergraduate students, 3 graduate students, and 2 research staff, and have served as Co-PI on funded projects totaling over $66,000, with a $750,000 USDA-NIFA-AFRI proposal pending.

Selected Awards & Honors 

• Most Impactful Publication, Food & Nutritional Security — Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences (2025/2026)

• Penn State Alumni Association Dissertation Award (2024/2025)

• Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Dissertation Award (2024/2025)

• Paul Hand Award for Graduate Student Research Achievement — Penn State (2023)

• Sarah Bradley Tyson Memorial Fellowship — Women's National Farm & Garden Association (2023)

• Frederick H. Brown Endowed Scholarship — Penn State (2022, 2023, 2024)

• ASHS Student Travel Award (2022, 2023, 2024)

Featured Publications

• Ravichandran., R., Poudel, P., and Di Gioia F (2026). Fertigation-Driven Dual Enrichment of Iron and Zinc in Radish, Sunflower, and Pea Microgreens. Food Bioscience. 79, 108693. Doi: 10.1016/j.fbio.2026.108693

• Poudel, P., Connolly, E. L. and Di Gioia, F. (2025). Zinc Biofortification and Light Intensity Independently Modulate Zinc Bioaccessibility, Minerals, Phytochemicals, and Yield Components of Pea and Radish Microgreens. Future Foods. 12, 100809. Doi: 10.1016/j.fufo.2025.100809.

• Poudel, P., Jeffries, J.A., Bai, J., Dorado, C., Rosskopf, E., and Di Gioia, F. (2025). Radish Microgreen Metabolomic Profile in Response to Zinc Biofortification and Light Intensity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 73, 16996-17013. Doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5c03574.

• Poudel, P., Jeffries, J.A., Bai, J., Dorado, C., Rosskopf, E., and Di Gioia, F. (2025). Light intensity and Zinc biofortification differentially impact the metabolomic profile of pea microgreens. Food Chemistry. 490, 145146. Doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.145146

• Poudel, P. and Di Gioia, F. (2025). Evaluation of alternative soilless growing systems for resource use efficiency, yield, and quality performance of multi-leaf lettuce. Acta Horticulturae. 1426, 325-332. DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1426.45

• Poudel, P., Connolly, E.L., Kwasniewski, M., Lambert, J.D., and. Di Gioia, F. (2024). Zinc Biofortification Via Fertigation Using Alternative Zinc Sources and Concentration Levels in Pea, Radish, and Sunflower Microgreens. Scientia Horticulturae. 331, 113098. Doi: 10.1016/j.scienta.2024.113098

• Poudel, P., Whittinghill, L., Kobayashi, H., and Lucas, S. (2023). Evaluation of the effect of planting depth and Bacillus subtilis treatment on saffron (Crocus sativus L.) production in the green roof production system. HortScience 58(10) 1267-1274. Doi: 10.21273/HORTSCI17220-23

• Poudel, P., Duenas, A., and Di Gioia, F. (2023). Organic Waste Compost and Spent Mushroom Compost as Potential Growing Media Components for the Sustainable Production of Microgreens. Frontier in Plant Science. 14: 1229157. Doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1229157

• Poudel, P., Di Gioia, F., Lambert, J.D., and Connolly, E.L. (2023). Zinc biofortification through seed nutri-priming using alternative zinc sources and concentration levels in pea and sunflower microgreens. Frontier in Plant Science. 14:1177844. Doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1177844.

Research Focus

• Crop physiology and G x E x M interactions
  (includes environmental stress, irrigation, spectral regulation)

• Plant metabolomics, flavor chemistry, and functional quality
  (includes phytochemicals, grape and wine chemistry)

• Nutritional quality, mineral biofortification, and bioaccessibility
  (agronomic Fe/Zn enrichment, human nutrition relevance)

• Seed physiology and vigor assessment

• Controlled environment and soilless production systems
  (CEA, hydroponics, alternative substrates, indoor/urban systems)

• Sustainable vegetable and specialty crop production systems
  (resource-use efficiency, climate resilience)

• Innovative agricultural technologies
  (plasma agriculture and emerging production tools)

• Agrobiodiversity and resilient cropping systems

I am always open to collaborations in urban horticulture, specialty crop production, and nutritional quality research. Feel free to reach out at pmp5548@psu.edu or connect through the links below.