About
Dr. Amir Ali Khoddamzadeh serves as Chair of the Department of Earth and Environment (E&E) at Florida International University (FIU) and is an Associate Professor of environmental horticulture. He is core faculty in the Agroecology Program, affiliated with the International Center for Tropical Botany (ICTB) at The Kampong within FIU’s Institute of Environment (an FIU Preeminent Program), and a Research Associate at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
Dr. Khoddamzadeh co-directs the Global Sustainable Tourism Program and previously served as Undergraduate Program Director, CASE/E&E curriculum and internship liaison, interim chair of HR, and a member of the E&E Graduate Committee.
In Spring 2024, he completed a sabbatical at USDA ARS Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, collaborating on conservation and characterization of subtropical and tropical ornamental genetic resources, and was named a 2024 USDA E. Kika De La Garza “Science Fellow”. He is a Senior Fellow and Chair of the Sustainability Education Innovation Lab at the Global Council for Science and the Environment (GCSE), participates in AASHE’s Sustainability Program Directors’ Cohort, and contributes to the Sustainability Education Accreditation Commission (SEAC).
Dr. Khoddamzadeh chairs the Urban Horticulture Program Advisory Board (UF/IFAS Extension, Miami-Dade). Within the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), he has chaired multiple committees and interest groups. He contributes to the Florida Native Plant Society’s Conservation Committee and the Dan Austin Award for Ethnobotany.
He is an editor/guest editor for several journals, most recently Frontiers in Plant Science on Advancements in Precision Agriculture and Remote Sensing for Optimizing Fertilizer and Irrigation Management of Specialty Crops.
Research
This multidisciplinary research encompasses:
- Seed technology, the role of mycorrhizal fungi in urban environments, and in-vitro micropropagation (tissue culture);
- Gene banking through cryopreservation and the development of synthetic seeds;
- Application of optical sensor technologies for monitoring plant health, with emphasis on assessing fertilizer use, water management, microplastics, and responses to abiotic stressors such as salinity and heat in ornamental and flowering plants and vegetables.
These research areas are critical for informing best management practices in botanic gardens, gene banks, the private sector, and the nursery production industry. The C&S Lab is also designated as a Trimble Technology Lab (TTL).
View Dr. Khoddamzadeh’s publications on Google Scholar
View Dr. Khoddamzadeh’s ORCID PageTeaching
ISC 5150 – Introduction to Research in Earth and Environmental Sciences – Fall (Graduate course).
Education
- PhD, University Putra Malaysia, 2011