Lily Kile

Bio

Lily Kile obtained her B.S. from Pennsylvania State University as a Schreyer Honors Scholar in plant sciences with a minor in environmental soil sciences and a minor in agronomy. While at Penn State, Lily began her own research and completed an undergraduate thesis in hydroponic cucumber production. During her time at Penn State, she was a member of the Woodsmen Team and competed in timber sport competitions and worked on a Christmas tree farm. She obtained her certificate in Foundations in Counseling at the University of the Nations in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Lily spent a year traveling to facilitate group counseling sessions with refugees in Germany and Greece. In 2022 Lily obtained her M.S. in soil science at NC State where she researched integrating cover crops for nutrient management in sweet potato production. Immediately following graduation, she began her Ph.D. work in 2022 where she was awarded the Goodnight Doctoral Fellowship.

Lily’s research involves soil chemistry, soil fertility, plant physiology, and genetics, to understand how future crops can be grown to most efficiently and sustainably take up phosphorus from the soil. Lily is passionate about contributing to our understanding of these complex scientific processes so that crops can be improved to meet the needs of the growing population.