Bob Houtz

Associate Dean for Research and
Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Director

S-129 Agricultural Science Building North
Lexington, KY  40546-0091
Email: rhoutz@uky.edu 
Phone: (859) 257-3332

FAX:  (859) 257-3393
current curriculum vitae 

Bob Houtz was appointed the Director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station (KAES) and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky in July 2018.  Houtz previously served as the Chair for the Department of Horticulture, 2009-2018.  He began his UK career as an Assistant Professor in 1985, Associate Professor, 1990, and Professor in 1999. He has served on numerous committees during his tenure at U.K. and is a recipient of the Thomas Poe Cooper Award for Excellence in Research, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and a member of the national academy of inventors. Over the course of his professional career Houtz has directly contributed to proposals that have generated ~$3 million in support from several competitive federal funding agencies including the DOE, NSF, and the USDA. He has authored 49 research publications, one book chapter, and holds 10 patents resulting in a total number of citations of 1,547, and an h-index of 24. He holds a B.S. in Horticulture from the University of Florida, and both a M.S. and Ph.D. in Horticulture, from Michigan State University.

As the Associate Dean for Research, Houtz provides administrative oversight and support for a wide range of research activities.  His duties include administration of mandated land-grant programs in research, including Hatch, Hatch Multistate, Animal Health and McIntyre-Stennis project implementation, annual AREERA reporting of accomplishments, and Civil Rights compliance.  He is also responsible for implementing programs and services that promote faculty success in obtaining extramural funding, partnering with industry, and managing grants and contracts.  He is the College’s liaison to the USDA ARS Forage Animal Production Research Unit. He also provides oversight for Regulatory Services, the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and the Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center.