McSweeney To Head School of Natural Resources

Soil scientist Kevin McSweeney has been named the new director of the School of Natural Resources at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

McSweeney joined the CALS faculty in 1983, and has held a joint appointment with the Institute for Environmental Studies at UW–Madison since 1987. A native of Wales, he attended the University of Sheffield and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and earned his doctorate in agronomy and soils from the University of Illinois-Urbana.

He has been involved in long-term research on fate and transport of agricultural chemicals in Wisconsin’s sandy soils, and in formation and diversity of soil landscapes in driftless and northern forest regions. Other research interests include soil micromorphology, participatory research in support of sustainable land management in the developing world, and environmental and agronomic applications of soil survey information.

McSweeney has taught classes in soil genesis, classification, and mapping. He has been a member of the College’s Academic Planning Council and has won the Jung Excellence in Teaching Award. He serves as co-editor-in-chief for Geoderma, a leading international soil science journal.

The directorship of the School of Natural Resources is a half-time appointment. McSweeney will continue some of his research and teaching in the Department of Soil Science and IES.

“The College is well positioned to make significant contributions to improving sustainability of agricultural and natural resource systems, and Kevin has the background and experience required to lead those efforts,” said CALS dean Roger Wyse. “He has proven himself to be an excellent researcher and educator and one who can bring diverse viewpoints and organizations together to solve problems. We are fortunate to have his leadership talents available now to our School of Natural Resources.”