Emmanuel Annan

Emmanuel Annan

Ph.D. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Li Huang

Research Area:  I will be working on the pea project with the goal of Identifying the level of resistance in Ascochyta blight together with other wheat projects.

akshara

Akshara Bathini

Ph.D. Plant Genetics
Advisor: Dr. Jamie Sherman

Research Area:
Abiotic stress studies in cereal crops.  Exploring heat and drought tolerance in barley by leveraging GWAS and transcriptomic approaches.

   231 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-2792
   akshara.bathini@student.montana.edu
Natalie Brennan

Natalie Brennan

Ph.D. Plant Pathology

Advisor: Dr. Jessica Kansman

Research Area: Ecology and management of aphid vectors in potato systems.

   333 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-5146
   natalie.brennan@student.montana.edu
Luis

Luis Esquivel Cervantes

M.S. - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Dr. Mike Giroux

Research Area:  I will be working on how dithiosphosphates and their release of hydrogen sulfides impact plant growth and development normally under plant stress.

    124 Plant BioScience Building
    (406) 994-1876
   luis-esqcer1@hotmail.com
consoli

Erika Consoli

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology

Advisor: Dr. Alan Dyer

Research Area: Wheat resistance to root lesion nematodes.  Wheat - nematode - microbiome interactions.

    237 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-7844 
   erikaconsoli@montana.edu
Ricardo Javier Leiton Cubillo

Ricardo Javier Leiton Cubillo 

M.S. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics 

Advisor: Dr. Sue Mondal

Research Area: I will be working with drones to detect the degree of resistance of wheat lines to Fusarium head blight.

   419B Leon Johnson Hall 
   rleitoncubillo@montana.edu
sam decker

Sam Decker

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Dr. Chaofu Lu

Research Area: 

 

Demian

Demian Dlakic

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Dr. Andreas Fischer

Research Area: 

 

Marie Dorval Headshot

Marie Dorval

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Dr. Frankie Crutcher

Research Area: Studying the effect of intercropping on disease severity and dispersal of Ascochyta rabiei.

 

Headshot of Shreya Gautam

Shreya Gautam

Ph.D. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Kevin McPhee

Research Area: Phenotyping Spring Wheat.

   332 Plant BioScience Building
   shreyagautam521@gmail.com
Hale

Caleb Hale

M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Mike Giroux

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

   124 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-1876
   caleb.hale@student.montana.edu
Del

Del Hannay

Ph.D. Plant Sciences

Advisor: Ryan Thum

Research Area: Evolutionary history and processes of aquatic plants.

    317 Plant BioScience Building
    (406)994-4039
   del.hannay@student.montana.edu
Chloe Hinson

Chloe Hinson

M.S. Plant Sciences

Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Lachowiec

Research Area: Seeking to understand how brassinosteroid hormone treatments affect wheat quality and gene expression during heat stress.

   331 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-4222
   chloe.kathleen.hinson@gmail.com

Venkat Kadium

 

Kaku

Naomi Kaku

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

Research Area:

   337 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-5152
   ng.kaku@gmail.com
kibiwott

Joseph Kibiwott

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Dr. Kevin McPhee and Dr. 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. 

   232 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-5147
   joseph.kibiwott@msu.montana.edu
Erik Killian Headshot

Erik Killian

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

Research Area: Defining the relationship between barley and its associated soil microbe community.

   331 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-4222
   killianerik@gmail.com
Aristea

Aristea King

Ph.D. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Lachowiec

Research Area: 

 

    331 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-4222
   aristeaking2020@gmail.com
John Paul Kole Photo

John Paul Kole

Ph.D. Entomology
Advisor: Dr. Michael Ivie

Research Area: 

   5 Marsh Lab
   (406) 994-4943
   kolejohn@msu.edu
Zachary Kuzniar Photo

Zachary Kuzniar

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

Research Area: 
Evolutionary ecology of aquatic plants.

   339 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-4039
   zachary.kuzniar@student.montana.edu
Photo of Jared Lile

Jared Lile

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

Research Area: 

 

   331 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-4222
Janaki Mahat

Janaki Mahat

M.S. Plant Sciences

Advisor: Dr. Jamie Sherman

Research Area: Working to find genetic control of resistance to wheat stem sawfly in barley.

   231 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 849- 0464
   janaki.mahat@student.montana.edu

Muhammad Umer Masood

 M.S. Plant Sciences

Advisor: Dr. Ryan Thum

Research Area: 

Vishal Monga

Vishal Monga

Ph.D. Plant Sciences

Advisor: Dr. Frankie Crutcher

Research Area: I am studying the ecological and environmental factors influencing the spread of Ascochyta rabiei and how they relate to fungicide application timing to enhance disease control in chickpeas.

   130 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-5572
   vishalmonga9888@gmail.com
Chiseche Mwanza

Chiseche Mwanza

 M.S. Plant Sciences

Advisor: Dr. Qing Yan

Research Area: Identification and characterization of beneficial bacteria to control pea (Pisum sativum) Ascochyta blight disease.

    131 Plant BioScience Building
   (406)551-0051 
   chiseche.mwanza@student.montana.edu
Krishna Nandakumar

Krishna Nandakumar

M.S. Plant Sciences

Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Lachowiec

Research Area: Improving camelina using molecular approaches.

   305 Plant BioScience Building
   (406)994-4222
   krishna.nandakumar@student.montana.edu
Dhirendra Niroula

Dhirendra Niroula

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Pathology
Advisor: Dr. Janak Joshi

Research Area: Exploring the potential of plant protease inhibitors for plant disease management.

Dipiza Oli

Dipiza Oli

 M.S. Plant Pathology

Advisor: Dr. Alan Dyer

Research Area: Biocontrol of invasive weed using Fusarium.

palone

Trevor Palone

Ph.D. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Jamie Sherman

Research Area:

 

   231 PBB
   trevor.palone@montana.edu
Monika Parajuli

Monika Parajuli

M.S. Plant Pathology 

Advisor: Dr. Li Huang

Research Area: Cloning of Ascochyta blight-resistant genes in peas and developing molecular markers for selecting the gene.

Ayax Del Valle Sanchez

Ayax Del Valle Sanchez

M.S. Entomology

Advisor: Dr. Kevin Wanner

Research area: I am currently involved in alfalfa weevil control research, enhancing existing integrated pest management (IPM) tools. Our objective is to deepen our understanding of the biology and behavior of alfalfa weevils, particularly their egg-laying patterns in relation to temperature and other environmental conditions. By studying these factors, we aim to predict population peaks during the crop season. This knowledge will enable us to refine IPM strategies and develop more effective measures to control alfalfa weevil populations.  

   Marsh Lab 10
   (406) 994-5663
   ayaxdelvalle@montana.edu
Photo of Jenish Simon

Jenish Simon

 M.S. Plant  Sciences

Advisor: Dr. Kevin McPhee

Research Area: Pyramiding resistant genes for aphanomyces resistance in peas.

Kaelin Smith Headshot

Kaelin Smith

M.S. Entomology 

Advisor: Dr. Tiziana Oppedisano and Dr. Jessica Kansman

Research Area: Application of remote sensing as a decision-making tool for wheat stem sawfly and wireworms in wheat and interactions between wheat root-emitted VOC's and wireworms.

   333 Plant BioScience Building 
   kaelin.smith1@student.montana.edu
Brandon Tillett

Brandon Tillett

Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Dr. Michael Giroux

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

 

   124 Plant BioScience Building
   (406) 994-1876
   brandon.tillett@student.montana.edu
Ashley Wolfe

Ashley Wolfe

 M.S. Plant Sciences

Advisor: Ryan Thum

Research Area: Evolutionary ecology of invasive aquativ plants.

   339 Plant BioScience Building
   ashley.wolfe3@montana.edu
Mei Ling Wong

Mei Ling Wong

Ph.D Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor:  Dr. Jason Cook

Research Area: 
My research focuses on finding a gene that controls spikelet number per spike in wheat and understanding plant plasticity and interaction effects on grain yield among multiple yield component traits (spikelet number per spike, tiller number, and grain weight). 

 

   419 Leon Johnson Hall
    (406) 994-4899
   meiling.wong@montana.edu