Research Microbiologist
USDA-ARS
Peoria, Illinois, United States
I am a Microbial Ecologist who is broadly interested in how crop management practices and pathogen pressure impact community assembly of microbiota across diverse soil and climate types, and the importance of the microbial community to plant yield and performance. My work combines large-scale field campaigns to identify fungi and bacteria living in aboveground plant tissues using both culture-dependent and next generation sequencing approaches. I then employ information identified from patterns in the field to inform controlled inoculation experiments in the lab and greenhouse. In my current role with the USDA-ARS, I am particularly interested in trying to identify microbial symbionts with the capability to reduce Fusarium susceptibility and mycotoxin accumulation in small grain hosts.
Monday, August 7, 2023
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM PDT