Research Interests
- Grassland Ecology
Education
Undergraduate Education
B.S. in Biology, Wheaton College, 1981
Graduate Education
M.S. in Agronomy, University of Florida, 1985
Ph.D. in Agronomy, University of Florida, 1989
Professional Biography
James P. Muir, a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, is Regent’s Professor and Research Scientist with Tarleton and Texas A&M AgriLife Research. A grassland ecologist, he focuses on the plant/animal interface. His research takes place in Africa, South America and North America. His students come from around the world and have undertaken research or presented their data in many countries, including Mozambique, Eritrea, Colombia, Mexico, Turkey, Argentina, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Brazil and, of course, Texas. His long-term focus has been legumes, both cultivated and natural, and their myriad roles in pastures, rangeland, prairies and savannahs. He is also interested in domesticating native Texas legume ecotypes for many uses, including rumen methane mitigation, prairie restoration and roadside revegetation.
Awards and Recognition
- Native Plant Society of Texas Charles Weedle Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2020
- Fellow of Crop Science Society of America, 2014
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research Fellow, 2013
- Regents Fellow Service Award, 2011
- Texas A&M System Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research, 2010
- Merit Award, American Forage & Grassland Council, 2008
- Fulbright-Hays Graduate Fellowship, Mozambique, 1988