Younsuk Dong receives 2026 CANR Early Career Researcher Award
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EmailYounsuk Dong, Ph.D., has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 CANR Early Career Researcher Award. He will be honored during the CANR Faculty and Staff Awards Reception on May 6.
Younsuk Dong, Ph.D., has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 CANR Early Career Researcher Award. He will be honored during the CANR Faculty and Staff Awards Reception on May 6.
The CANR Excellence in Research Award program recognizes outstanding contributions to Michigan State University’s research mission. In particular, the awards highlight the impact of their achievements on academic and external stakeholder communities. The Early Career Researcher Award honors individuals with less than five years of service and research experience at MSU and within CANR.
Dong is an assistant professor and statewide irrigation specialist in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. He leads the MSU Irrigation Program, where his applied research helps Michigan growers improve water use efficiency in irrigation, conserve freshwater and maintain crop productivity. His team developed the Low-Cost Sensor Monitoring System, or LOCOMOS, an affordable, sensor-based technology now used across more than 80,000 acres of Michigan farmland to support data-driven irrigation and disease management decisions.
Since joining MSU in 2022, Dong has secured more than $5 million in competitive grant funding as principal investigator and published extensively in high-impact journals. He also provides statewide leadership through service roles that inform irrigation guidelines and water policy. His outreach efforts have reached thousands of growers and agricultural professionals through education programs, demonstrations and Extension publications.
Dong’s research, Extension and statewide leadership continue to advance sustainable water management and support Michigan agriculture.