Eric Watkins’s research focuses on the development of low-input, winter-hardy turfgrass cultivars for use in cold climates. Research activities involve germplasm improvement of several cool-season turfgrass species for multiple landscape uses, including roadsides. The recent research results from his program have informed revised roadside turfgrass seed mixture recommendations for Minnesota.
Watkins received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Minnesota in 1998 and a PhD in plant biology from Rutgers University in 2004. Watkins has been on the faculty of the Department of Horticultural Science since 2004. He currently serves as vice provost for distributed learning, a role in which he provides leadership for online and hybrid programs throughout the five-campus University of Minnesota system.