Shannon Baker

Shannon Baker joined Kansas State University in 2026 as an Assistant Professor and Wheat Breeder in the Department of Agronomy. She leads the Manhattan-based hard winter wheat breeding program, which develops and releases improved public wheat varieties through the Kansas Wheat Alliance for producers in Kansas and the Central Great Plains.

Baker’s research focuses on integrating traditional plant breeding with genomics, quantitative genetics, and high-throughput phenotyping to improve the efficiency and precision of wheat variety development. Her research interests include the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), remote sensing, image-based phenotyping, and data-driven approaches to characterize crop development, stress response, and agronomic performance. A major goal of her program is to identify and deploy traits that improve yield stability and adaptation to increasingly variable production environments.

The K-State wheat breeding program emphasizes high grain yield, end-use quality, resistance to important diseases and insects, and adaptation to heat, drought, and other environmental stresses. The program evaluates breeding material across diverse Kansas environments and works closely with researchers in wheat genetics and genomics, plant pathology, agronomy, grain science, wheat quality, physiology, and data science. These collaborations support the development of wheat varieties that combine strong agronomic performance with durable resistance and high milling and baking quality.

Prior to joining K-State, Baker spent nearly two decades with the Texas A&M AgriLife Research wheat breeding program in Amarillo, Texas, where she contributed to wheat variety development, breeding program management, field research, and the implementation of UAS-based high-throughput phenotyping. Her doctoral research examined the use of temporal canopy phenotyping and remote sensing to characterize winter wheat development and its relationship with grain yield.

Education

· Ph.D. Plant Breeding, Texas A&M University, 2025

· M.S. Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan

· B.S. Plant Science, University of Saskatchewan