Liberty Galvin

Dr. Liberty B. Galvin was born and raised in Oklahoma and is the third generation in her family to complete a Bachelor's degree at Oklahoma State University. She completed a B.S. in Environmental Sciences with a double minor in Soil Science and Agronomy in 2013. During her undergraduate program she studied abroad to Njala University in Sierra Leone, West Africa, under the direction of Professors Jeffory Hattey and Mike Dicks. This study abroad experience led her back to Sierra Leone after graduation to conduct water, sanitation and hygiene projects. This experience led her to complete a M.S. degree in International Agricultural Development at University of California Davis in 2017.

Her M.S. research was funded by a USAID Research Innovation in Agriculture Fellowship and returned to Njala University to work with Professor Adolphus Johnson in the Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology department, analyzing communication networks between the university and local stakeholders. During her M.S. studies, she worked for Professor Brad Hanson in the Weed Science program as well as Ken Tate in the Rangeland Ecology Department.

Her work with Dr. Hanson introduced her to the field of Weed Science and she chose to pursue a PhD with Professor Kassim Al-Khatib at UC Davis. Dr. Galvin's PhD research was focused on utilizing biology and ecology of weedy rice to optimize timing of weed control strategies. Her research also included field-testing novel technologies and chemistries that improve yields through precision weed control. Once she completed her PhD in 2022, Dr. Galvin pursued a post doctoral opportunity with Professor Al-Khatib. Her main focus was to serve as a technical advisor for a USDA-Foreign Agricultural Services Cochran Fellowship project, focused on reducing barriers to international trade due to pesticide residue limitations.

Dr. Galvin has spent her academic career working closely with agricultural producers to solve complex problems related to integrated weed management and is excited to bring that experience back to her home state. She is an Assistant Professor of Extension Weed Science and Precision Weed management with an 85% extension and 15% research appointment.  Her current work includes assessing alternative weed control strategies to manage herbicide resistance in wheat, crop-weed competition studies, herbicide efficacy field trials, and UAV applications in agriculture. Dr. Galvin is a member of the Wheat Improvement Team at OSU and teaches a myriad of continuing education courses to pesticide applicator license holders across Oklahoma.