Microbiology & Plant Pathology

Message from the Chair:

Welcome to the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology at the University of California, Riverside! Our departmental goals are to conduct research on the basic biology of plant and animal pathogens and other microbes, to develop methods for the management of microbial diseases of plants, animals, and other organisms, to provide a quality education to our students; and be a repository of expert advice on plant diseases and microbiology to the citizens of California and the world.

Our department has its roots in the Citrus Experiment Station, which was established in Riverside in 1905. Although the department has maintained strength in the study of diseases of citrus, the scope has expanded to include concentrations in numerous other plant diseases as well as many sub-disciplines of microbiology, including mammalian virology and the microbiome. Represented among our faculty are experts in the fields of genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, ecology, evolutionary biology, and traditional aspects of disease control. Many faculty members have close interactions with industry representatives, advisors, and policy makers throughout California and worldwide. This is critical to applied research for identifying emerging and common plant and animal diseases and microbes, and developing innovative management programs based on ecological and epidemiological approaches. 

On the following pages, I invite you to explore the research programs of our world-class faculty, our critical work in cooperative extension, and the graduate and undergraduate programs that we sponsor. - Katherine Borkovich