Brian Steffenson - Professor
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Matthew Haas - Graduate Research Assistant
[email protected] M.S degree: Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, 2011-present B.S degree: Biology, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, 2005-2009 I first joined Dr. Steffenson’s lab in 2011 as a M.S. student after spending a year as a junior scientist in Dr. Corby Kistler’s lab studying Fusarium graminearum. My research focus is high-resolution mapping of a durable spot blotch resistance locus in barley. Spot blotch is a devastating foliar disease of wheat and barley, especially in the Upper Midwest and adjacent provinces of Canada. It is caused by Cochliobolus sativus (anamorph: Bipolaris sorokiniana). I will be attempting to find additional resistance in NDB-112 that was not transferred to derived cultivars and use currently known QTL to map them more precisely. Hobbies: bicycling, working out, cooking, and more recently, home-brewing |
Bullo Mamo - Graduate Research Assistant
[email protected] Ph.D. Degree: Plant Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, 2009-to date M.Sc. Degree: Plant Biotechnology, Wageningen University, The Netherlands, 2005-2007 B.Sc. Degree: Plant Sciences, Alemaya University, Ethiopia, 1998-2002 I joined Steffenson’s lab in 2009 as a Ph.D. student to assist with identifying and mapping wheat stem rust (Ug99) resistance in barley. Ug99 is a new variant of wheat stem rust first discovered in Uganda in 1998, and is an emerging threat to wheat and barley production worldwide. A focus of my research is to identify, map, and characterize resistance genes against Ug99 in landrace and wild barley accessions. I am also working towards characterizing the genetic diversity and population structure of a diverse collection of Ethiopian barley landrace germplasm and utilizing genome-wide association scans to develop marker-trait associations for resistance to multiple barley diseases and agronomic traits in this germplasm. Hobbies:, travel, reading, bicycling |
Jeness Scott - Post-doctoral Research Associate
[email protected] Ph.D. degree in Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis- 2008 B.S. degree in Biology at Iowa State University- 1998 Throughout my scientific endeavors as a plant pathologist I have become particularly interested in research to improve the management of plant diseases particularly with respect to increasing host resistance. I joined the Steffenson Lab in October of 2011 to characterize the genetics of disease resistance present within the barley germplasm. Specifically I am evaluating the disease reaction of domesticated and wild barley to stem rust (causal agent = Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici). Using a combination of molecular markers, association mapping, and other genotyping tools; we hope to identify novel sources of resistance that can be moved into barley cultivars adapted to life in Minnesota. Hobbies: gardening, hiking, camping, quilting, biking, reading, beer tasting, fishing, & riding the bus |
Dachi Jguniashvili- Junior Scientist
[email protected] M.S degree: Technical University of Georgia, of the Faculty of Power Engineering and Telecommunication 2009- B.S degree: Technical University of Georgia, of the Faculty of Power Engineering and Telecommunication 2005-2009 In 2011, the MAST program gave me the opportunity to come the USA and receive further education and some work experience. At first I worked for Linder’s greenhouses for six months, where I learned a lot of things about modern greenhouses, taking care of plants, and selecting those for sale. Then, I studied at the University of Minnesota for Fall semester. In September, I joined the Steffenson project where I have been assisting lab members in doing experiments and developing barley backcross populations with winter hardiness. I am very happy to have a role in this great project. Hobbies: riding horse, skiing, climbing mountains, playing billiards. |
Jon Menke- Post-doctoral Research Associate
[email protected] Ph.D. Degree: Plant Pathology, 2011, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis B.S Degree: Microbiology, 1997, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis My work in the Steffenson Lab is focused on the genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci for resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wild barley. The projecting I’m working on entails the analysis of an advanced backcross derived population of barley that resulted from an intial crossing of a high quality malting barley with a wild barley accession collected in Israel. My primary role in this project is to generate a genetic map based on this population using SNP data obtained from a high-throughput genotyping assay. This map and existing phenotypic data obtained from this population will be used to identify loci associated with FHB resistance that may be present in the wild accession. This work will provide information about the potential utility of wild germplasm for the improvement of barley disease resistance to FHB. |
Jamie Kaufman- Junior Scientist
[email protected] B.S. Degree: Biology, 2010, Augsburg College, Minneapolis I joined the Steffenson lab in the fall of 2011 with the objectives of identifying stem rust resistance genes from Aegilops species, wild relatives of wheat, and incorporating those genes into wheat breeding lines. For this project I work closely with the Two Blades Group of the Sainsbury Laboratory in the United Kingdom. Prior to working in the Steffenson lab, I worked at the Cereal Disease Laboratory under the direction of Dr. Les Szabo where I received training in the molecular genetics of Puccinia graminis, the causative agent of wheat stem rust. |
Jamie Nesbit - Researcher 3/ PhD Student
Jamie Nesbit- [email protected] B.S. in Horticulture from Iowa State University, 2015 M.S. in Biological Science from University of Minnesota, 2022 I joined the Steffenson lab at the beginning of 2023 and have worked on several diseases of barley and wheat in the field and greenhouse. One disease that I have focused on is fusarium head blight (FHB) of barley, caused by Fusarium graminearum. FHB will be a focal point of my thesis work where I will be investigating resistance alleles coming from an introgression line population generated from a cross between the German malting cultivar, Scarlett, and a wild barley from Israel (ISR42-8). I also plan to carry out yield loss assessments caused by FHB by observing the disease's impact on single spikes in the field without the use of pesticides as a control treatment. We believe this will allow for more natural observations of losses caused by FHB. Another area of interest in the Barley Pangenome created by IPK in Germany. I will be screening this panel against a range of diseases and performing a GWAS in the hopes of identifying novel resistance genes. Hobbies: Running, watching baseball, guitar/drums, crosswords |
Connor Slawin - PhD Student
Connor Slawin - [email protected] B.S in Botany from UW-Madison in 2022 My thesis work is focused on Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of Fusarium Head Blight in wheat and barley. I am investigating the mechanisms of mycotoxin biosynthesis and regulation, effector targets, and infection strategies of F. graminearum. To do this, I am using proteomics approaches to study protein-protein interactions within F. graminearum and in interactions between the pathogen and its host. Ultimately, my research will uncover how mycotoxins are produced and controlled, identify genes that can be targeted to limit toxin synthesis, and discover host targets and susceptibility genes. I am co-advised by Dr. Steffenson and collaborate with his laboratory. Hobbies: running, cycling, triathlon, fishing, camping, cooking |