AMBASSADORS
Starting the Conversation
Ambassadors are a vital part of our platform and guide the conversation within our groups. Their diversity and experience provide unique outlooks on common issues within academia. Through this they build the connections IS-MPMIConnect strives to create. Email us at ismpmi.connect@gmail.com if you wish to become an Ambassador yourself.
Dr. Ignacio Rubio Somoza
Ambassador
Ignacio Rubio-Somoza is a Molecular biologist trained as a plant developmental biologist with major interest on the interplay between development and immunity. His laboratory (MoRE Lab) at CRAG (Barcelona, Spain) investigates the co-evolution of RNA and hormone-mediated communication between plants and their associated microbes. Research at the MoRE lab focuses on different plant species such as Marchantia polymorpha and Arabidopsis thaliana and in their interaction with viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Dr. Carolina Mazo-Molina
Ambassador interested in Inclusivity in STEM and Early Career Professionals
My name is Carolina Mazo-Molina, I am from Colombia, and I am a Postdoctoral Scientist at the Boyce Thompson Institute at Ithaca, New York. I am a Microbiologist who likes plants and their pathogens, and I am interested in effector biology, plant NRLs, and plant-microbe interactions.
Dr. Cecilia Monclova
Ambassador interested in the Early Career Professionals Group
I am a plant pathologist working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Tech University. My research interests are focus on disease management practices, early pathogen detection, germplasm screening, and molecular identification of new, emerging pathogens. I work directly with stakeholders such as cotton and peanut farmers, industry representatives, research and extension personnel, and students.
DeQuantarius Speed
Ambassador interested in Inclusivity in STEM
Hello! I’m DJ Speed, a 6th year doctoral student in the Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology Department at the University of Chicago. My research focuses on the induction of plant systemic immune responses in response to pathogen exposure. I’m passionate about work involving equity and inclusivity in STEM, STEM advocacy and policy, STEM mentorship, and science communication.
Dr. Kamal Malukani
Ambassador
During my PhD, I worked on the role of cell-wall and bacterial cell wall degrading enzymes in the induction of rice immune response during Rice-Xanthomonas interaction. Currently, I'm also exploring the role of rice functions involved in the tolerance against Rhizoctonia solani.
Andrei Kiselev
Ambassador interested in the International Student Experience
I am from Russia and currently a Marie-Sklodowska Curie fellow working at LRSV laboratory at Toulouse University. My main scientific interest is the effector biology of phytopathogenic oomycete Aphanomyces euteiches. I’m keen on development of new techniques to characterize the mechanism of action of the effectors. I’ve been already an international student for 4 years, starting from my master’s program in Kiel, Germany.
Goodluck Benjamin
Ambassador interested in Inclusivity in STEM and the Early Career Professionals group
I study plant biocontrol for pest and disease management and my research is currently focused on the tripartite molecular and metabolomic interaction of pea aphids, legumes and nitrogen fixing symbiosis.
Professor Anne Matthysse
Ambassador interested in Inclusivity in STEM and Work/Life Balance
My research is focused on initial interactions of pathogenic bacteria (Agrobacterium tumefaciens and E. coli O157) with plant surfaces. We are currently interested in the role of glycoside hydrolases and of extracellular polysaccharides.
Professor Edel Pérez López
Ambassador interested in Inclusivity in STEM and Early Career Professionals
I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Plant Sciences, University Laval, Quebec City, Canada. Currently my lab is working with molecular and applied aspects of the clubroot pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae, the causal agent of a devastating disease affecting cruciferous crops worldwide. I'm originally from Cuba and a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Fayruza Lalany
Ambassador interested in Work/Life Balance
I am currently a PhD student at the Université de Sherbrooke, department of Biology. Fungal diseases result in devastating crop losses each year and the application of chemical fungicides has resulted in the development of more aggressive, fungicide resistant pathogens. Mycovirus-mediated hypovirulence is a phenomenon in which the virulence of fungal pathogens is reduced or completely lost, as a consequence of viral infection. As such, one of my research interests include the development of novel mycoviruses for use as biocontrol agents for field scale application.
Dr. Ben Daubech
Ambassador interested in Inclusivity in STEM and Early Career Academia
Being particularly interested in plant-microorganism interactions, I did a PhD on nitrogen fixing symbiosis. During my PhD research, I identified a novel nodulation gene, called noeM, and also I focused on the spatio-temporal dynamics of fixing and non-fixing symbionts. I am currently looking for a postdoc position to extend my expertise on plant-microorganism interactions to a phytopathogenic system.
Min Ya
Ambassador interested in Early Career Professionals and Work/Life Balance
I am a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. I’m interested in understanding the molecular basis and evolution of floral morphologies – what genes are needed to build a flower of a specific form and how do they change in different lineages. Particularly, I use RNA sequencing, genetic mapping, microscopy, tissue culture, histology, and gene silencing to study what genes build the beautiful Columbine flowers.
Dr. Shyam Solanki
Ambassador interested in Early Career Professionals
My broad research interests are in understanding immunity pathways in plants for effective deployment in agriculturally relevant crops, majorly focusing on pathosystems: barley-wheat stem rust, barley- Fusarium head blight (FHB), and soybean- Sclerotinia stem rot. I am particularly interested to understand the driving forces operating during the plant-pathogen interactions, leading to their continuous genome evolution and/or non-conventional mechanisms of host immunity. Apart from research, I am a big fan of sports, particularly cricket.
Sonali Roy
Ambassador interested in Early Career Professionals and Inclusion and Diversity
My research focuses on the genome-encoded small secreted peptides or ‘peptide hormones’ and their many roles in N-acquisition in legumes. I study how their signaling pathways interact with those of the classical hormones to modulate the rhizobia-legume interactions. Peptides likely provide a cheap, environmentally-friendly, non-GMO route to address current challenges of plant growth in nutrient-deprived soils.
Dr. Tania Toruño
Ambassador interested in Work/Life balance
I am originally from Nicaragua and have always been interested in the molecular interactions between plants and pathogens. My research interest focuses on the molecular mechanisms of pathogen perception and how plants activate their immune system. I am currently working towards the characterization of microbial perception in cultivated citrus and wild species, and how that impacts susceptibility to citrus greening (HLB) and other diseases.
Varusha Pillay Veerapen
Ambassador interested in Inclusivity in STEM
I am a PhD Candidate under the supervision of Prof. Peter Moffett at the University of Sherbrooke. My main research interests lie in investigating RNA silencing mechanisms and its satellite components in plants. Inclusion and diversity, would mean promulgating a safe space for each and every individual to be able to express oneself and honoring his/her uniqueness and values. As Charles Darwin would bring to the table, “diversity is the key to success."
