Dirk Hays, Ph.D.

Center Director, Professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
Dr. Hays oversees the center’s mission to solve agriculture, life sciences and natural resources challenges facing farmers, ranchers and residents of the Rio Grande Valley. Beginning as center director in 2023, Hays brings more than 30 years of leadership and problem-solving experience to forming synergistic alliances among the center’s research and extension faculty and staff, leadership of The Texas A&M University System, and county, state and national elected officials. He is a professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. As a researcher, Hays is an expert in agronomy, breeding, plant physiology and biochemistry. He served as chair of the intercollegiate Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences graduate degree program at Texas A&M for more than 10 years.