students in the lab (c) UCR/CNAS

Research Areas

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CLICK on each research area to learn more or go to our faculty profiles to learn about a specific faculty member's research.

 

Microbial Pathogenesis

judelson pathogen 1

The mechanisms by which organisms become pathogenic and the responses of plants, animals and arthropods to an infectious agent are surprisingly universal.

Juliet Morrison cell work

Our programs integrate the long standing strengths of UCR in plant and vector biology with its expanding biomedical community, providing a multidisciplinary approach to microbiology in agriculture and medicine.

Host-pathogen interaction laboratories are interested in the host mechanisms to defend against pathogens and the strategies pathogens use to establish infection and to suppress host defense responses.

We employ genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry and imaging to investigate the fundamental biology underlying host-pathogen interactions in humans and crops, and model animal and plant host species.


Faculty studying this research area:
 

Jim AdaskavEG  Katherine Borkovich  James Borneman  Michael Coffey 

Shou-wei Ding   Rong Hai   Ansel Hsiao  Hailing Jin  Howard Judelson 

Wenbo Ma  Patricia Manosalva  Juliet Morrison   James Ng 

Caroline Roper  Georgios Vidalakis 

 

Microbial Evolution, Genomics, and Genetics

borkovich lab microscope

The last decade has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number of organisms, most of them prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes, for which genome sequences are available. UCR microbiologists are using high throughput sequencing and functional genomics technologies to understand evolution of organisms, comparing diversity of microbial communities, or discovering molecules that impact microbial pathogenesis on their hosts.

judelson chart

Molecular and genomic tools are providing new ways to explore functions and roles of plant-associated microbes. Plant Pathologists at UC Riverside use high throughput sequencing and functional genomics technologies to identify microorganisms, sequence and compare complete genomes, evaluate the expression of genes, and explore gene-silencing mechanisms.

These approaches can help identify genes and mechanisms important for disease and adaptations necessary for transmission and association with hosts and vectors. UCR researchers are also developing cutting edge applications of genomic technologies to study plant disease and plant mutualistic symbionts.


Faculty studying this research area:
 
 Katherine Borkovich Michael Coffey 
Patrick Degnan Sydney Glassman Howard Judelson  
Jason Stajich

Environmental Microbiology and Ecology 

desert soil fungus cultures

Environmental microbiology and ecology is a rapidly developing field that investigates the distribution of microorganisms in their environment and the processes they catalyze. UCR microbiologists research the population structure in communities of microbes from soils to intestinal tracts and the impact of ecological changes on their composition. They also explore public health aspects of these communities, including environmental pathogens and engineering practices for treatment of waste products.

Glassman Lab Field Research

The study of organisms in their environment and their evolutionary history enables a better understand the origins and potential management of native- and agro-ecosystems. UC Riverside Plant Pathologists use morphological, molecular and culture-based approaches to study microbes in the rhizosphere and soil, as well as in association with plants, insect vectors and other animals.

This includes comparing the plant-associated microbes of invasive versus native plants, both in California and in their habitats of origin. This effort allows us to search for important mutualistic symbionts and biological control agents for managing our agricultural and natural resources.


Faculty studying this research area:
 

Michael AllEN  Emma Aronson  Sydney Glassman

AlexAnder Putman  Jason Stajich 

Microbiome

microbiology plates

Microbiome laboratories are interested in the microbial communities that reside on and within humans,animals, and plants.

john macbeth plate

Microbiome research groups at UCR integrate microbial genetics, high-throughput multiscale biology, germ-free animal and plant model systems, molecular biology, and bioinformatics approaches to investigate how these microbes can contribute to host health and disease.


Faculty studying this research area:
 
 Emma Aronson James Borneman 
Patrick Degnan Emma Gachomo Sydney Glassman Ansel Hsiao  
Caroline Roper Jason Stajich 

Plant Disease Management 

ma lab plants

Management of plant diseases is of singular importance to the discipline of plant pathology. Development of strategies to accomplish that objective is based upon accurate identification of the specific causal agent of a particular disease, followed by sound biological knowledge of the life and disease cycle of that agent.

putman strawberry field

Weak links in the life and disease cycles are then targeted with specific and efficacious management strategies.

Such strategies include cultural, biological, genetic, physical, chemical, and regulatory approaches, which are applied either alone or combined into an integrated plant disease management program.


Faculty studying this research area:
 
Jim Adaskaveg Michael Allen  
James Borneman Michael Coffey Emma Gachomo Patricia Manosalva  
James Ng Alexander Putman Georgios Vidalakis 

Molecular and Cellular Microbiology

dulinmicroscope

Microbiologists at UCR employ genetically and biochemically tractable prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes for study of fundamental biological processes.

judelson fluorescence

These include gene regulation, cell division, signal transduction and cell differentiation. Many of these investigations employ fluorescence microscopy and other modern cell biology techniques.


Faculty studying this research area:
 
Katherine Borkovich James Borneman Patrick Degnan Shou-wei DiNG 
Emma Gachomo Rong Hai Ansel Hsiao Hailing Jin Howard Judelson 
WenBo Ma  Patricia Manosalva  Juliet Morrison James Ng A.L.N. Rao
Caroline Roper  Jason Stajich 
~$33M
In Grants and External Funding received from 2018-2020
21
Faculty Members
61
Department Graduate Students
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