Graduate Field of Plant Pathology & Plant-Microbe Biology

Plant-Microbe Biology

Molecular and Cellular Basis of Inter-organismal Interactions
Functional Genomics and Proteomics
Plant Responses to Symbionts and Pathogens

The past decade has seen a rapid development of conceptual models to guide the study of plant-microbe interactions and an explosion of new tools to test those models. For example, we now have access to complete genome sequences of many pathogens and plants and we can visualize key molecular events as they occur in living systems. Also, the phenomena we explore -- from pathogen attack mechanisms to host innate immune responses -- are increasingly seen to be part of a broad web of inter-organismal interactions whose understanding can benefit both plant and human health.

Students in this program have a common goal of understanding the biology of the interactions between plants and microbes, particularly with respect to pathogenesis and symbiosis. They typically conduct research on pathogenic, symbiotic, and epiphytic processes enabling microbial associations with plants, and on the mechanisms in plants that lead to defense, susceptibility, or cooperation. In addition to four core courses in Plant Pathology, students in the Plant-Microbe Biology Program typically take advanced courses in allied fields such as Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Genetics and Development, Genomics, Microbiology, and Plant Biology. The inherently broad training afforded by the molecular study of interaction biology enables graduates of this program to pursue a wide range of disciplines and careers.