Sindhu Jagadamma Receives Women in Science Mentoring Award

UTIA Soil Scientist Honored for Empowering Women in Research

• Bonnie Johnson
• November 12, 2025
• Media Article

UTIA’s Sindhu Jagadamma earns the Women in Science Mentoring Award for guiding female scientists and promoting sustainable soil research through her inspiring leadership, compassion, and dedication to agricultural excellence.

---

Sindhu Jagadamma, associate professor of soil science at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), has received the Women in Science Mentoring Award. The honor, presented by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, was awarded during their annual CANVAS 2025 conference in Salt Lake City.
 

The award recognizes individuals who encourage women and girls to pursue science by offering professional and personal support. It highlights efforts in mentoring, career guidance, work-life balance, and promoting women’s advancement in agronomy, crop, and soil sciences.
 

“Among the many responsibilities of a faculty member, mentoring, particularly of female and minority students, gives me the most excitement and satisfaction,” Jagadamma said. “Growing up as a girl child of illiterate parents from a remote village in India, I firmly believe that mentoring support is critical for women.”
 

Her former mentees, including Sutie Xu, Patricia Lazicki, and Shikha Singh, nominated her for the award, praising her compassion and dedication. They shared how her guidance helped them balance personal commitments and professional growth. “Dr. Jagadamma is a perfect combination of competence, kindness and caring,” they wrote.
 

In addition to this award, Jagadamma received the 2025 Conservation Research Award from the Soil and Water Conservation Society for her work on improving soil and environmental health. Her research focuses on sustainable soil management and mitigating environmental problems caused by traditional farming practices.
 

Jagadamma earned her bachelor’s degree from Kerala Agricultural University in India, followed by her master’s and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. She later joined UTIA in 2016 after working as a postdoctoral researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
 

Through her mentoring and research, Jagadamma continues to inspire future generations of women scientists and contribute to the advancement of agricultural sustainability worldwide.
 

Photo by: utia.tennessee.edu