Prior to taking the position with USDA, Laboski served as a professor and extension soil scientist focusing on soil fertility and nutrient management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for 18 years, and as an assistant professor and extension soil scientist at Michigan State University for three years. She served as president of the Soil Science Society of America in 2023 after serving as a representative to the board of directors.
Her wide experience with agricultural science and policy and natural resources protection — working both in academia and a huge federal government agency — has uniquely prepared her to guide the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, according to Troy Ott, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences.
“I am pleased to welcome Carrie back to her alma mater to join the leadership team in the college,” he said. “She has a great combination of disciplinary knowledge, experience with academic and government institutions, and leadership. Her long service in Extension grounds her in our mission of bringing science-based solutions to the most pressing problems facing natural resource management. She is joining a department with incredible talent across a broad portfolio that is poised for greater impact. I am excited to see what our Department of Ecosystem Science and Management will achieve under Carrie’s leadership.”
Laboski said she also is pleased to be back at Penn State.
“As a Penn State alum, I’m excited to return to campus and lead a multidisciplinary department focused on developing knowledge and creating science-based tools for natural resource conservation and sustainable management of working lands while developing our future workforce and leaders,” she said. “I look forward to visiting Pennsylvania’s working lands and developing collaborative relationships with departmental stakeholders.”
Laboski will succeed Margot Kaye, interim head of the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management and professor of forest ecology. Kaye noted that she greatly appreciates the support she received in her recent role.
“I am deeply grateful to our amazing staff that helped me navigate the position and to the faculty and students for their patience and trust,” she said. “I also really enjoyed engaging with our department’s abundant external partners — I learned so much from them over the past two years and look forward to continued interactions.”
Kaye said Laboski is a great fit for the department — both because of her professional experience and her down-to-earth attitude.
“Carrie has expressed genuine enthusiasm for the interdisciplinary nature of our department and has a strong record of leadership experience, including her role as a research leader with the USDA and as president of the Soil Science Society of America,” Kaye said. “She has expressed a strong commitment to the land-grant mission of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State and is clearly passionate about the natural beauty and resources of Pennsylvania.”
Laboski’s applied research program elucidates nutrient biogeochemistry and subsequent best management practices to reduce potential nutrient losses to the environment and improve nutrient use efficiency of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from fertilizer and animal manure; soil fertility issues related to lime, secondary, and micronutrients; and evaluation of soil and plant diagnostic tests. She has published more than 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts, with three winning outstanding paper awards from the journal.
Using research data, she develops and delivers soil-fertility recommendations, tools and educational materials to assist farmers and agronomists in making nutrient management decisions that support intensified, economically and environmentally sustainable crop production systems which are resilient to climate change. Throughout her career, Laboski has cultivated relationships with ag professionals, farmers and regulatory agencies as a means to improve and advance nutrient management plan adoption and farm profitability.
Laboski has received five extension educational materials awards from the American Society of Agronomy for short publications, videos and mobile apps.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in soil science from Penn State, Laboski went on to receive her master’s degree in soil science with a focus on soil management, from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate in soil science, with a focus on soil chemistry/fertility, from the University of Minnesota.