Researchers in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology working in the area of Microbial Diversity and Ecology.

  • Professor of Mushrooms

Areas of Expertise

  • Mushroom cultivation
  • Composting
  • Mushroom nutrition and physiology
  • IPM and Disease Management for Mushroom cultivation
  • Mushroom extension services for the North American mushroom industry
  • Professor of Bacterial Systematics and Plant Pathology, Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology

Areas of Expertise

  • Phytobacteriology
  • Translational Taxonomy
  • Systematic Bacteriology
  • Biological Control
  • Sustainable and Organic Agriculture
  • Professor Emeritus
  • Department Head 2005-2008

Areas of Expertise

  • Plant Pathology
  • Fungal Genetics
  • Plant Breeding
  • Assistant Professor of Soilborne Disease Dynamics and Management

Areas of Expertise

  • Fungal ecology and evolution
  • Soil & plant microbiome response to stress
  • Biological management of fungal & oomycete pathogens
  • Soil health and disease modeling
  • Professor of Mycology
  • Director, Fusarium Research Center

Areas of Expertise

  • Fusarium and Aspergillus
  • Fungal genetics
  • Fungal systematics and evolution
  • Fungal plant and animal pathogens
  • Assistant Dean for Graduate Education
  • Associate Director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural State Experiment Station
  • Professor of Vegetable Pathology

Areas of Expertise

  • Integrated vegetable disease management
  • Plant pathogen diagnosis
  • Disease monitoring and forecasting
  • Sustainable crop production
  • Assistant Professor of Microbial Ecology
  • Lloyd Huck Early Career Professor

Areas of Expertise

  • Bacteriology
  • Phyllosphere Microbiology
  • Protein-mediated Bacterial Antagonism
  • Molecular Biology
  • Interim Department Head, Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology;
  • Professor of Plant Pathology;
  • Coordinator and Adviser of the Undergraduate Minor in Plant Pathology

Areas of Expertise

  • Population biology
  • Ecology of plant-associated microorganisms
  • Fusarium and Verticillium wilts
  • Professor

Areas of Expertise

  • Biocontrol
  • Fungal genetics and genomics
  • Microbial chemical ecology
  • Molecular diagnosis of plant pathogens
  • Associate Professor

Areas of Expertise

  • Mycotoxins
  • Endophytes
  • Fusarium
  • Fungal genetics
  • Fungal secondary metabolites
  • Agricultural biosecurity
  • Associate Professor

Areas of Expertise

  • Fire blight resistance in apple trees
  • Biologically-based approaches to fire blight disease control
  • Development of citrus greening-resistant citrus varieties
  • Molecular genetics of Erwinia amylovora pathogenicity
  • Development of tomatoes resistant to bacterial canker disease
  • Understanding rootstock-scion interactions in grafted apple trees
  • Associate Research Professor
  • Director of Graduate Studies
  • Mushroom Science and Technology Minor Advisor
  • Manager - Mushroom Research Center
  • Director - Mushroom Spawn Lab

Areas of Expertise

  • Substrate Microbiology
  • Mushroom Cultivation
  • Composting
  • Integrated Pest Management
  • Associate Research Professor, Tree Fruit Pathology

Areas of Expertise

  • Apple and pear diseases
  • Peach, cherry, other stone fruit diseases
  • Integrated tree fruit disease management
  • Professor Emeritus

Areas of Expertise

  • Adaptation to extreme environments with microbes
  • Associate Professor, Plant Virology

Areas of Expertise

  • plant virology
  • microbe plant interaction
  • vectors of plant viruses and of other plant pathogenic microbes
  • plant disease prediction and management models