Posted: April 26, 2018
The Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology recently appointed Edward Kaiser as Research Support Technologist for the Mushroom Spawn Lab. The position was previously held by Vija Wilkinson, who served the department for 30 ½ years.
Ed Kaiser, Research Support Technologist, holds a Petri dish containing a mushroom culture. (Image: Matt Black)
Kaiser joined the department in 2012, where he worked in Dr. Gretchen Kuldau's lab characterizing microorganisms in indoor air environments. He later joined the lab of Dr. David Geiser where he tested novel compounds for antifungal activity in agricultural and environmental applications.
Prior to joining Penn State, Ed worked as an analytical chemist at a contract research firm, instrument manufacturer, and aerospace company. He received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Kentucky followed by a master's degree in analytical chemistry from San Jose State University.
The Mushroom Spawn Laboratory at Penn State contains an extensive collection of mushroom and disease cultures, including over 700 isolates of 170 species of mushrooms and nearly 300 different disease isolates. Cultures are shipped worldwide for a variety of research and commercial applications. Current culture listings and additional information about the lab can be found here.
