Luis Márquez
AMHERST — UMass Amherst recently announced the appointment of Luis Márquez as the next director of the UMass Amherst Cranberry Station, an 11-acre working farm, research, and outreach facility located in East Wareham.
Cranberries are one of the most iconic fruits in Massachusetts, and an important part of both its economy and culture. One of only a handful of fruits native to North America, the cranberry represents both a defining element of the Commonwealth’s agricultural heritage and an economic driver, with an annual value of more than $70 million supporting farming communities across Southeastern Mass.
Since 1910, the UMass Cranberry Station — the nation’s only facility dedicated exclusively to cranberry research and extension — has supported growers with practical, research-based solutions while advancing environmental stewardship, climate and economic resilience, and innovation in cranberry production.
Márquez brings more than two decades of experience spanning academia and agricultural biotechnology, with deep expertise in applied plant biology, soil health, plant-microbe interactions, and field-based research. Most recently, he served as chief technology officer at CryoBio, a startup incubated at Cornell’s Boyce Thompson Institute, and previously held leadership roles at Robigo, Joyn Bio/Ginkgo Bioworks, and Indigo Agriculture — organizations rooted in the Greater Boston and Northeast biotechnology ecosystem. His career has been marked by translating cutting-edge science into practical, grower-relevant solutions through large-scale field trials and collaborative research programs.
“I wanted to come back to my academic roots and give back to society,” says Márquez, whose daughter will be starting her junior year in neurobiology at UMass Amherst. “The cranberry is the crown jewel for Massachusetts agriculture, and because cranberries live at the intersection of food and health, there is great opportunity for innovation.”
Though cranberries are the iconic Thanksgiving food, second only to turkey, they disappear from most menus once the holiday has passed, and growers have largely saturated the market that exists. Márquez noted that, when the Cranberry Station was founded in 1910, growers were harvesting about 10 barrels of berries per acre. Now, thanks to a variety of technological innovations, they can harvest more than 600 barrels per acre.
What Márquez calls a “paradigm shift” in the cranberry industry will revolve less around increasing quantity and more around increasing the quality of the berry, especially given their health benefits. Long known as a superfood, cranberries are naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, cancer-fighting antioxidants, and other compounds that may help with everything from blood pressure to cardiovascular and urinary tract health.
“Along with keeping them in the supermarket, I think getting cranberries into the aisles of the pharmacy will be a game changer for the industry,” he said.
Márquez succeeds Hilary Sandler, who retired in 2024.
“Márquez is an outstanding fit for this role and for the future of the UMass Cranberry Station,” said Lynne McLandsborough, director of the UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, under which the Cranberry Station is housed. “He brings an exceptional combination of scientific leadership; real-world ag experience; and a collaborative, extension-oriented approach. His strong connections to the regional innovation and biotechnology community, paired with a deep respect for grower needs, position the station to build new partnerships while remaining firmly grounded in its mission to support Massachusetts agriculture.”
