As Director/Assistant VP, Douglas Buhler serves as the administrative leader of MSU AgBioResearch, a group of more than 350 researchers from seven MSU colleges—and has a network of 13 research centers across the state and a total annual budget of over $130M per year. MSU AgBioResearch engages research that combines scientific expertise with practical experience to generate economic prosperity, sustain natural resources and enhances the quality of life.

Buhler received his B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Nebraska. He joined Michigan State University as Professor and Chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and served in that position from 2000 to 2005.  From 2005 to 2010 he was Associate Director of the MSU AgBioResearch and Associate Dean for Research for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR).  Buhler served as interim Dean of the CANR from 2011 to 2013 and again in 2016.