At the recent Beltwide Cotton Conferences, Dr. Christopher Saski, Professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University, was presented with the 2025 Cotton Genetics Research Award. Saski also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia, the University of Arkansas, and Colorado State University, and has also directed the Clemson University Genomics Institute and the Genomics and Computational Biology Laboratory.

Over his career, Dr. Saski has authored or co-authored 126 scientific journal articles and has a patent pending for his team’s work related to an improved transformation and regeneration system for upland cotton. Dr. Saski’s program is guided by the theme, “Building Better Cotton,” and his accomplishments speak to that. Dr. Saski developed strong relationships with public and private breeders and led a Beltwide collaboration to rapidly address FOV4 with three prominent manuscripts and the public release of six highly resistant FOV4 upland lines. Dr. Saski has also contributed significantly to the development of genomic resources that currently enable cotton improvement.

The Cotton Genetics Research Award was established in 1961 to recognize and encourage basic research in cotton genetics, cytogenetics, and breeding. It is administered by the Joint Cotton Breeding Committee, consisting of representatives of the NCC, the USDA, state experiment stations, Cotton Incorporated, and commercial breeders.

2026 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Photo Album