Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology welcomes assistant research professor of nematology

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences welcomed a new faculty member on July 1.

Mihail Kantor, formerly an established researcher and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education fellow at the USDA ARS in Beltsville, Md., will serve as an assistant research professor of nematology. 

Kantor’s research background includes the identification of plant-parasitic nematodes using systematics, morphology and molecular techniques. In addition to his primary research, he is studying the effects of plant extracts and cover crop amendments on plant-parasitic nematodes. Kantor has more than 15 years of experience in agricultural research having spent the last 9 years studying plant-parasitic nematodes. 

At Penn State, Kantor will continue to apply an integrated approach to the identification and classification of plant-parasitic nematodes of importance to Pennsylvania crops. In collaboration with other Penn State colleagues and outside collaborators, he will develop rapid assays for the identification of plant-parasitic nematodes as well as novel treatments using integrated methods. In addition, his research will include the identification of effectors in plant-parasitic nematodes and the identification of metabolic compounds in resistant plant varieties to plant-parasitic nematodes.

Kantor started his career as a horticultural engineer and went on to teach in academia to then join the USDA. He is a lifelong learner, he received a doctorate in genetics and plant breeding from the University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj, the flagship agricultural academic institution in Romania (Transylvania) and a Master of Science in plant biotechnology from Claflin University, a historically Black college and university in South Carolina.

In addition to his research, Kantor is very passionate about teaching and mentoring future generations of plant scientists. At Claflin, he taught and mentored numerous minority undergraduate and graduate students. He recently served as the Northeast Area representative for the USDA, ARS Postdoc Advisory Council and a member of the Onboarding Subcommittee of the USDA, ARS Postdoc Advisory Council. Currently, he serves as a member of the Regulatory Committee for the Society of Nematologists.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Kantor joining our faculty,” said Carolee Bull, head of the department. “His expertise will expand our translational taxonomy research leadership to include nematodes. Dr. Kantor plans to build a fee-based nematology diagnosis and identification service that will change the outcomes for the tree fruit, field crops, turf and other plant industries in Pennsylvania and beyond.”