Vamsi Nalam is the interim director of the potato breeding program in the rich farmlands of Colorado’s San Luis Valley. But don’t let the “interim” portion of his title distract you.
Nalam, you see, has spent years preparing for his role, studying agriculture in his native India before coming to the United States to expand his knowledge in graduate programs at Oregon State, where he earned his master’s, and the University of North Texas, where he earned his Ph.D. He’s been a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural Biology at Colorado State University since 2018 and is thrilled to be working with potato farmers in the San Luis Valley.
“The San Luis Valley is a pretty amazing place – it’s such a high, beautiful plateau, and potatoes grow really well there,” Nalam said of the world’s largest alpine valley, measuring approximately 8,000 square miles. “I really like working with the farmers and helping them deal with the challenges that go along with potato farming.”
Nalam began his work with the potato breeding team in May 2025. Scientists at CSU’s San Luis Valley Research Center have been trying to develop new varieties with resistance to age-old plagues like Potato Virus Y and, newer ones like, the Potato mop-top Virus.
