Becky Grubbs-Bowling, Ph.D., is the new urban water specialist within Texas A&M AgriLife’s multi-agency Texas Water Resources Institute. She joins TWRI following a position as state turfgrass specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Grubbs-Bowling will be based at the Texas A&M AgriLife Center at Dallas. Her responsibilities will include public outreach on water conservation and quality protection related to urban landscapes. Grubbs-Bowling also retains her existing affiliation with the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University, College Station.

The Lewisville native will help to develop publications and teaching materials that aim to inform decision making toward environmental stewardship and thriving Texan landscapes.

Becky Grubbs-Bowling, Ph.D.
Becky Grubbs-Bowling, Ph.D.

“The goal is to help to protect our resources while creating beautiful outside spaces that bring enjoyment to daily life,” she said. “I will be working closely with the Water University outreach program and other AgriLife water conservation programs to reach Texans with this important information.”

She also will continue her own research from the Dallas center.

“My research over the past two years has primarily focused on improving the health of turfgrass systems through applied studies,” she said. “They address questions around turfgrass selection, general management and pest control.”

In the new position, she plans to leverage her knowledge in broadening research that is focused on environmental stewardship. She also will assist in expanding outreach methods for engaging a growing Texas population. Her work will take place through a mixture of applied research and social science initiatives, which evaluate public interest and public priorities in landscaping.

Grubbs-Bowling earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in horticulture at Texas Tech University. She finished with a doctorate in crop and soil science from the University of Georgia. She is on Twitter as @TXWaterWoman, and some of her outreach work is online at AgriLife’s Water University program YouTube channel.

TWRI is a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M.