STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Bhawana Acharya
By Malinn Loeung | Photo by Stan Lim
Farewell to Nepal — For Now
Born in Dang, a district in midwestern Nepal, Bhawana Acharya spent much of her childhood working with her family in their eyeglasses shop. Despite their modest life, Acharya’s parents instilled in her the importance of striving for financial security, and she was determined to help improve her family’s future. In addition to Nepali, Acharya learned to speak and write Hindi and English, and, in 2016, she enrolled in an agriculture program at Tribhuvan University, the largest public university in Nepal. It was there she met her now-husband, Rajesh Neupane. The pair married after earning their bachelor’s degrees and decided to pursue graduate school in the U.S., hoping to attend the same university. Life had other plans, with Acharya receiving a full scholarship to Louisiana State University and her husband a full ride at UCR. So, in 2022, the pair packed their bags and headed to different corners of the U.S.
From Cajun Country to California
While completing her master’s degree in agriculture in Louisiana, Acharya attended CANVAS, a global agricultural conference. There, she came across a poster showcasing research by a UCR student on remote sensing, something she was also studying. Acharya asked to meet with the student’s advisor, UCR associate researcher Elia Scudiero, and they discussed how her agriculture research intersected with UCR’s citrus research. The meeting led to a formal interview with Scudiero, who later offered her a Ph.D. fellowship in his Digital Agronomy Lab at UCR. Five months later, Acharya finally made it to Riverside and was reunited with her husband.
Full (Crop) Circle Moment
Acharya is now in her second year at UCR, pursuing a doctorate in environmental sciences. Her research on precision agriculture uses advanced technologies such as sensors and drones to study and manage the fertilizer and irrigation needs of crops, with her efforts specifically aiming to support California’s citrus industry. Currently, growers apply fertilizer and water uniformly — a formula determined by government agencies many decades ago. However, UCR researchers believe this method is inefficient as not every plant needs the same resources. Excess nutrients can also leach into groundwater and agricultural runoff may flow into nearby water sources, contaminating drinking water and impacting aquatic ecosystems. The Digital Agronomy Lab uses a range of sensors to assess plants’ water and nutrient status. They also use sensors to assess levels of chlorophyll, the green pigment responsible for absorbing sunlight through photosynthesis. The greener the plant, the less fertilizer it needs; by applying the right amount, growers achieve a balance of sugars and acids that produces the best citrus. In 2025, Acharya returned to the CANVAS conference, presented a poster of her research, and won first place.
Funding, Fun, and Family
Opportunities in Nepal weren’t as abundant for Acharya as they have been in the U.S., which makes her especially grateful for everything she has accomplished since leaving home. Before earning her doctorate in 2028, she hopes to secure additional funding for her research through more fellowships and paid teaching assistant opportunities as well as spend more time with UCR’s Nepalese Student Association. Founded by her husband and his friends in 2024, the organization is made up of UCR students who left Nepal to pursue graduate degrees in the U.S., providing members a chance to connect and a taste of home with potlucks featuring their favorite dishes. Each November, the group celebrates the Hindu festival Tihar by visiting local Nepali seniors and performing traditional songs and dances. These things ease the homesickness she sometimes feels; Acharya and her husband have not seen their parents since leaving Nepal in 2022. For now, they connect through video calls a few times a week and are hoping that, in a few more years, their families will be able to see them walk across the commencement stage in person when they graduate.
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