Current Graduate Students

Burak Avci

M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Jennifer Lachowiec

Research Area: Photoperiod sensitivity and flowering time in Cannabis sativa L. 

Maggie Brazier

 Ph.D - Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisors: Jamie Sherman, Frankie Crutcher

Research Area:  Cereal Grains

Collins Bugingo

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Mary Burrows

Research Area: 
Understanding the Fusarium pathosystem in lentils through characterization and devising management approaches for this yield-robbing pathogen in the Northern Great Plains.

Gregory Chorak

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Ryan Thum

Research Area: 

Vinicius Ferreira

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Michael Ivie

Research Area: 
Evolution, systematics and taxonomy of Insecta, with emphasis in Coleoptera (Beetles) of the family Lycidae and Omethidae.

Katie Gannon

M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor:  Ryan Thum

Research Area: Population dymanics of Eurasian watermilfoil

Shreya Gautam

M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Chengci Chen and Dr. Chaofu Lu

Research Area: Phenotyping Spring Wheat

Tom Grubb

M.S. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Alan Dyer 
Research Area: Looking into the effectiveness of popular fungal seed treatments in commercial wheat fields and understanding the role that seed-borne inoculum plays in grower's disease pressure

Megan Hager

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: David Weaver

Research Area: Using 'omics methods to study plant response to wheat stem sawfly.

Caleb Hale

M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Mike Giroux

Research Area: Ways to increase productivity, seed size, and protein content of durum, spring, and winter wheat

Hannah Hoff

Ph.D. Plant Sciences-Plant Genetics
Advisor: Ryan Thum

Research Area:

 

Joseph Jensen

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Jamie Sherman

Research Area: 
Genetic dissection of malt quality in Barley

Naomi Kaku

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor:  Michelle Flenniken

Research Area:

Joseph Kibiwott

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Kevin McPhee/Jed Eberly

Research  Area: 
Evaluating the effects of seeding rates and inoculant performance on nodulation, weed suppression, and relative yields of different lentil varieties grown in the Northern Great Plains. 

Pragya Kiju

M.S. Entomology
Advisor: Michael Ivie

Research Area:
Pea leaf weevil (PLW) management in Montana.  

Erik Killian

Ph.D. Plant Gentics
Advisors: Jennifer Lachowiec and Jed Eberly

Research Area: Plant recruitment of rhizosphere microbial community structure.

John Paul Kole

M.S. Entomology
Advisor: Michael Ivie

Research Area: 

Aishwarya Kothari

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Jennifer Lachowiec

Research Area: 
Studying the effects of heat stress in wheat using functional genomics.

Zachary Kuzniar

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Ryan Thum

Research Area: 
Evolutionary ecology of aquatic plants

Xiao Lai

Ph.D. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Qing Yan

Research Area: Biological control of plant diseases.

Jared Lile

Ph.D. Plant Sciences
Advisors: Jennifer Lachowiec and Jason Cook

Research Area: 

 

Paul Lorenzo

M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Phil Bruckner and Mary Burrows

Research Area:
Assessing the effectiveness of resistance genes for Wheat streak mosaic virus and its vector, the wheat curl mite, in winter wheat. His focus is on three genes: Wsm1, Wsm2, and Cmc4.

Alex McMenamin

Ph.D. Microbiology
Advisor: Michelle Flenniken

Research Area: Virology and immunology of the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera).

 

Kyla McNamara

M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Alan Dyer and Darrin Boss

Research Area: Agronimics and adaptability of quinoa in dryland Montana.

Carmen Murphy

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Mary Burrows

Research Area: Root rot mitigation of pulse crops. 

Everet Karl Owen

M.S. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisors: Mary Burrows and Uta McKelvy

Research Area: Develop disease prediciton models for important diseases of wheat.

Jeff Pashnick

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Ryan Thum

Research Area:

Amrit Poudel

M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Kevin McPhee

Research Area: Environmental Effects on Winter Pea Survival

Zoe Pritchard

M.S. Entomology
Advisor: Michael Ivie

Research Area: Diversity and distribution of wild bees in Montana.

Jordan Rainey

M.S. Entomology
Advisor: Michael Ivie

Research Area: Describing and classifying new species of Staphylinid rove beetles from the West Indies.

Gillian Reynolds

Ph.D. Interdisciplinary, Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisors: Jennifer Lachowiec and         Veronika Strnadova-Neeley

Research Area: Agricultural bioinformatics

Erika Rodbell

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Kevin Wanner

Research Area:

Brian Ross

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Michelle Flenniken

Research Area:

Charles Watt

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Macdonald Burgess

Research Area:

Josey Ugrin

M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Michael Giroux

Research Area: Genetics and breeding of durum, winter and spring wheat

Jessica Williams

Ph.D Plant Sciences
Advisor: Jamie Sherman

Research Area: 
Genetics and physiology of root systems in malt barley and spring wheat.

Sophie Winitsky

Ph.D. Plant Science
Advisor - Matt Lavin

Research Area: Evolution, biogeography and taxonomy of the legume genus Marina 

Yi Zhou

M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Kevin McPhee and Chengi Chen

Research Area:  Effects of Pythium and CruiserMaxx on chickpea plant growth.