Taking a postdoctoral research position focused on tar spot of corn may seem like a surprising departure after an education in cosmetic diseases of citrus fruit, but Eva Mulandesa is no stranger to taking on a bold new experience. She has worked on two continents, speaks three international languages, and is joining the Malvick lab as a postdoc to gain experience in Extension work and cereal crop pathology.
Originally from Mozambique, Mulandesa learned to love the fields from her dad. “My dad was passionate about agronomy, and I grew up seeing him grow crops at home in our little backyard. I had my little tools to go and help him,” she recalls. With her father’s encouragement, she obtained a technical degree in agronomy. During her senior year, she applied for a scholarship to get an undergraduate degree at Earth University in Costa Rica. As Mozambique’s national language is Portuguese, Mulandesa started her time in Costa Rica with a months-long immersion experience in Spanish.
Mulandesa discovered her love of plant pathology during her time at Earth University, both through coursework and a student internship. For an off-campus internship experience, she was accepted to work on sugar cane yellow leaf virus and orange/brown rust at the University of Florida at the Everglades Research and Education Center in Belle Glade, Florida, under mentor Dr. Philippe Rott.
Plant pathology clicked as a discipline for Mulandesa’s mind and work style: “I like to be part of the solution, and a problem solver. When I worked as an intern with the sugar cane yellow leaf virus, we were trying to identify alternative hosts, so we had to go in the fields and look for corn, sorghum, and test them. With the need to solve a problem, how can we answer what it takes to address the problem, and how can we communicate that to growers in the industry?”
After graduating from Earth University, Mulandesa took work in Nicaragua at Mangosa Company, but had to move away due to political tensions in the country. After a few months back in Mozambique, she returned to Dr. Megan Dewdney’s lab in Florida to work on citrus black spot (a fungal disease caused by Phyllosticta citricarpa), first as an intern and then as a Master’s student. She then received an offer to work on another cosmetic disease, citrus greasy spot caused by Zasmidium citri-griseum (Syn. Mycosphaerella citri).
Beyond the practicality of plant pathology, Mulandesa connects to the creativity of the discipline. “You get to see what people have done before, and how to fill in the gaps, and that’s something I enjoy most: thinking outside the box.” She recounts getting creative to problem-solve during her PhD: “We used nail polish to see the fungal structure outside of the fruit’s surface… The idea of using daily stuff in plant pathology research is very fascinating and very practical.”
In her new role in the Malvick Lab, Mulandesa is eager to be immersed in new things. In the research itself, she will focus on studying tar spot of corn, a fungal disease caused by Phyllachora maydis. She will study the disease’s development, associated microbiomes, and the pathogen’s ability to survive harsh Minnesota winters. Beyond immersing in the study of a new host-pathogen interaction, she is eager to learn about teaching and the communication and relationship-building that occurs between Extension faculty and farmers.