Though Eric Nazareno graduated from UMN Plant Pathology with his PhD in 2021, you’ve certainly seen him around campus since then. He’s been working as a postdoctoral associate in the Steffenson Lab and Rouse Lab, expanding on the research and connections he built as a student in the department.
Foundations in research
Eric has known his passion for plant health since his undergraduate days studying Agriculture at University of the Philippines, Los Baños, where he chose a specialization in plant pathology. “I thought it was really cool to get to study not only plants but also their pathogens,” he shared, “And that we can learn how they interact and think about ways to develop plants that can resist those pathogens . . . since undergrad, I haven’t left plant pathology.”
These studies inspired him to do the Master’s program in Agricultural Sciences at Tennessee State, analyzing gene expression in plant pathogenic bacteria. He then started at the University of Minnesota’s PhD program with Melania Figueroa and Shahryar Kianian, analyzing the pathogen-host interaction of oat crown rust and developing oat lines with adult plant resistance.
The knowledge and skills Eric gained in his PhD program became foundational for his work studying cereal rusts as a postdoc, and his postdoc appointment at UMN Plant Path and USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Lab is allowing him to expand upon his previous research. Currently, he is involved in developing a barley leaf rust, stem rust, and oat crown rust pangenome in collaboration with researchers from the US, UK, and Australia. He is also conducting virulence surveys of the barley leaf rust pathogen and leading a national screening for barley leaf rust resistance participated by 10 breeding programs across the United States.
A broadly expanded network of breeders and researchers is a big growth area from Eric’s PhD and postdoc experiences: “In my PhD, I worked in a relatively small group. But right now I’m interacting quite a lot with breeders all over the United States and other collaborators across the world. It’s definitely giving me exposure, and I also gain opportunities to build my professional network as I get to present my research in national and international meetings.”
His postdoc appointment has also given Eric the opportunity to work more closely with researchers here at UMN. Brian Steffenson, now supervising Eric as a postdoc, recalls: “Eric had applied to UMN Plant Pathology Department for an M.S. degree and he was interested in working on my project. I, in turn, was very interested in taking Eric as a student given his strong background in plant pathology. However, I did not have funds at the time to accept him as a student. Fast forward X years and I am now delighted to have Eric working with me on the rust pathogens.”
Future plans
As he plans for a future career in academia, Eric gains beneficial information and connections in his daily life as a postdoctoral associate. By embracing collaboration and the opportunities to learn while networking, Eric is both strengthening his current research and getting a better idea of the current landscape of plant pathology as a field of study. “Plant pathology is a very dynamic field, there’s a lot of interesting research going on out there,” he shares. “As I collaborate, I learn more about other things in the field and I try to integrate the things that I learn in my current research. Also, hearing feedback from people is important - it helps me a lot to improve on what I’m doing.”
To a current graduate student considering a postdoc position, Eric would share two main advantages: building experience and expanding your network.
“In a postdoc, you’re more independent and may be able to explore things that you are passionate about . First, it definitely gives you more research experience as you spend more time doing research and thinking about your research. A postdoc also offers you time to gain experience on mentoring students or teaching, things that you may need in your future career. Second, it gives you time to enhance your soft skills and to connect with people. It’s never too early to build your network. You never know, one of your cohorts may be your co-worker in the future or someone who can help you get the job. So build those connections as early as now and maintain those relationships.