Mycology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Biography My overall goal is to gain a better understanding of necrotrophic fungal pathogenesis that will lead to suitable control strategies. Plant associated fungi and oomycetes have adopted different lifestyles and strategies to achieve pathogenic success. Necrotrophic pathogens by definition require dead host cells for nutrient acquisition. The necrotrophic fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum secrete oxalic …
Biography My research focus lies in genetically dissecting those aspects of Aspergillus spp. that render them potent pathogens and superb natural product machines. We are interested in elucidating the mechanism of fungal sporulation and host/pathogen interactions; processes intimately linked to secondary metabolite (e.g. mycotoxin) production. My tactic has been to use the genetic modelAspergillus nidulans …
Biography Our primary research interest is the pathogen Blastomyces dermatitidis, a thermally dimorphic fungus endemic in Wisconsin and the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri river valleys. Blastomyces is a primary human pathogen and is a useful model for the other pathogenic dimorphic fungi such as Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides immitis, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Sporothrix schenckii, and Penicillium marneffei, …
Biography The overarching goal of my program is to create sustainable, attractive, and functional urban and suburban landscapes. With appointments in extension (70%), teaching (20%), and research (10%) my duties include developing science-based solutions to current problems affecting landscape managers in Wisconsin and beyond and disseminating those solutions to landscape managers through innovative means. My …
Biography Jeff Lorch is a Microbiologist at the National Wildlife Health Center. He received bachelor degrees in Bacteriology and Wildlife Ecology and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Environmental Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Since joining the USGS, Dr. Lorch has devoted his career to investigating and diagnosing wildlife mortality events and studying …
Biography Pathogenic microbial populations display large amounts of heterogeneity in stress and drug resistance. Often this heterogeneity is due to non-genetic differences, that is, differences between cells that are not due to mutations in the DNA. One source of phenotypic heterogeneity in cells is heterogeneity in gene expression. We published the first study of single-cell …