| Name | Degree | Areas of Interest | Advisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camilla Dreasher Mercado | MS | I will focus on the population and distribution of the native barley hordeum jubatum as well as disease resistance in wheat. | Brian Steffenson |
| Ryan Franke | PhD | I will be investigating native canker-rot, wilt and root rot fungi for their potential to act as biological agents of control for Frangula alnus and Rhamnus cathartica (Glossy Buckthorn and Common Buckthorn, respectively). I will also develop technologies for the field application of the fungal agents. | Robert Blanchette |
| Pranaya Kaki | PhD | My research is focused on mechanisms of microbial interactions in the synthetic microcosm designed for corn rhizosphere with the goal of reducing pathogen pressure and nitrogen fertilizers. | Devanshi Khokhani |
| Ronan Keener | MS | My research focuses on characterizing mycoviruses and understanding their impacts on their fungal hosts, particularly rust fungi. These mycoviruses have the potential to impact the fungus’ pathogenicity and I want to better understand these interactions, which may guide new biocontrol strategies. | Robert Alvarez Quinto |
| Hunter Kluegel | MS | My research is focused on the impact of both winter rye and brown mustard cover crops on disease incidence and severity of S. sclerotiorum and R. solani. My study focuses on the impacts of these cover crops in both edible soybean and dry bean systems. | Megan McCaghey |
| Yoonjung Lee | PhD | My research focuses on small grain resistance genes, specifically examining diverse barley germplasm and studying bacterial leaf streak resistance caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. translucens in barley. My goal is to identify resistance genes related to BLS in barley. Additionally, I will explore the characteristics of various disease resistance genes and seed traits in barley using diverse germplasm. | Brian Steffenson |
| Kay Lerohl | MS | I am assessing the genetic diversity of Verticillium spp. in Minnesota, and identifying resistant potato lines. I am interested in investigating the molecular interactions between the plant host and pathogen to identify genes related to virulence and resistance. | Ashish Ranjan |
| Austin Lloyd | PhD | My primary research focus is the bacterial and fungal microbiomes of disease resistant soils. Additionally, I am also interested in the development and application of bioinformatic methods for plant and soil microbial ecology. | Dan Schlatter |
| Colin Peters | PhD | My research focuses on the effectiveness and application of using fungi as biological control for the emerald ash borer. I will also characterize the relationship between these several species of entomopathogenic fungi with their beetle host across its various stages of development. | Robert Blanchette |
| Olivia Queisser | MS | My research will focus on charcoal rot, caused by Macrophomina phaseolina. With hot and dry weather becoming more common in Minnesota, charcoal rot could become more common. My project will focus on determining the distribution and frequency of this disease in Minnesota, and evaluating the susceptibility of certain Minnesota soybean varieties to this disease. | Megan McCaghey and Dean Malvick |
| Aaron Semington | PhD | My research area pertains to studying the soil microbiome of northern tallgrass prairie ecosystems. Specifically exploring how beneficial microbes in the soil can be used in restoration and agricultural applications. | Devanshi Khokhani |
| Joana Serrano Salgado | PhD | I work in characterization and epidemiology of new and emerging viral diseases in vegetable and ornamental crops of economic importance to Minnesota. Specially in management, detection, and alternative weed hosts of tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) and genomic characterization of previously undescribed viruses in ornamentals. | Robert Alvarez Quinto |
| Sofia Simeto | PhD | My research will focus on the fungal community associated with Emerald Ash Borer and the role those fungi play in ash decline and mortality. I also will study the entomopathogenic fungi associated with EAB as potential biocontrol agents of the pest. | Robert Blanchette |
| Connor Slawin | PhD | My research is focused on fusarium head blight of barley, a disease caused by Fusarium graminearum which produces the mycotoxin DON. I am investigating how F. graminearum infects barley, how to improve barley's resistance to the pathogen, and how DON is produced. | Brian Steffenson, Mitch Elmore |
| José Solórzano | PhD | My research will focus on understanding the distribution and factors that contribute to spread and establishment of tar spot of corn; expanding knowledge of the host range, etiology, and detection methodologies for tar spot and the pathogen; and investigating the potential for management of tar spot with fungicides and/or resistant hybrids. | Dean Malvick |
| Nick Talmo | PhD | My research will be focused on characterizing phenylpropanoid pathway genes involved in soybean resistance and susceptibility to S. sclerotiorum. Following characterization, we will explore manipulation of expression of these genes as a means of imparting enhanced resistance to this fungal pathogen. | Ashish Ranjan |
| Jasper Tao | PhD | I'm passionate about investigating realistic and accessible plant pathogen management practices. I am currently evaluating the microbiome of Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum sclerotia for potential biological control agents, as well as researching the relationship between various irrigation rates and how it affects the development of cosmetic soil borne diseases of Dakota Russet potatoes. | Megan McCaghey |
| Katherine Topham | PhD | My research focus is on the genomic and biological characterization of new and emerging viruses infecting blueberry shrubs. I am also working on the development of diagnostic assays for these viruses. | Robert Alvarez Quinto |
| Molly Veregge | PhD | My research focuses on rust diseases of cereal crops, particularly wheat stem rust caused by the fungal pathogen Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt). We are using phenotypic and genomic data of a sexually recombining population of Pgt to uncover avirulence genes in the pathogen population. | Pablo Olivera Firpo |
| Hsuan Fu Wang | PhD | My research will be focused on characterizing aggressiveness determinants of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and using gene silencing strategies to target these determinants. | Megan McCaghey |
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