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
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
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
Kendra Hertweck
Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Andreas Fischer
Research Area:
Cysteine protease family C1A's role in malt barley leaf senescence.
Hannah Hoff
Ph.D. Plant Sciences-Plant Genetics
Advisor: Ryan Thum
Research Area:
Traci Hoogland
Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Jamie Sherman
Research Area:
Accelerating the development of barley varieties for improved forage quality and yield
Joseph Jensen
Ph.D. Plant Sciences - Plant Genetics
Advisor: Jamie Sherman
Research Area:
Genetic dissection of malt quality in Barley
Naomi Kaku
Ph.D.
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
Advisor: Qing Yan
Research Area: Biological control of plant diseases.
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:
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:
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:
Durc Setzer
M.S. Plant Sciences
Advisor: Macdonald Burgess
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.