\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n\n <\/div>\n\nDr. Michael Allen:<\/strong>\u00a0Mike is\u00a0Professor of\u00a0Plant Pathology<\/a>\u00a0and Professor and Chair of\u00a0Biology<\/a>, University of California, Riverside, where he is also the Director of the\u00a0Center for Conservation Biology<\/a>. His interests focus on the regulation of community and ecosystem processes by soil organisms with special emphasis on mycorrhizal fungi. Mike’s current research concentrates on global change dynamics and structure of undisturbed areas, and how that information can be utilized in the conservation and restoration of native ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n Dr. Catherine (Kittty) Gehring:\u00a0<\/strong>Kitty\u00a0is a Professor in the\u00a0Department of Biological Sciences<\/a>, Northern Arizona University. Her research focuses on improving understanding the functioning of fungi in natural and managed systems. Kitty also directs the\u00a0Gehring Laboratory of Mycorrhizal Ecology\u00a0and mentors doctoral students the\u00a0Integrative Bioscience: Genes to Environment<\/a><\/u>\u00a0training program.<\/p>\n\n Dr. James Graham:<\/strong>\u00a0Jim is a Professor of Soil Microbiology at the University of Florida’s\u00a0Citrus Research and Education Center<\/a>. Jim’s research focuses on pathogenic and mutualistic microbe relationships of citrus trees and citrus soils, and the development of management tactics that sustain root health. The goal of his research is to improve integrated management strategies for above- and below-ground diseases and pests that reduce productivity of citrus.<\/p>\n\n Dr. Jason Hoeksema:<\/strong>\u00a0Jason is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at The University of Mississippi.\u00a0Jason’s lab<\/a> studies are the ecological and evolutionary consequences of species interactions (such as mutualism, parasitism, and competition) on populations and communities, with a focus on interactions between plants and mycorrhizal fungi.<\/p>\n\n Dr. Nancy Johnson:<\/strong>\u00a0Nancy is a Professor in the\u00a0School of Earth Science and Environmental Sustainability<\/a>\u00a0and studies arbuscular mycorrhizas, which are fungal symbioses with most terrestrial plants. Mycorrhizas in natural and agricultural systems are her primary research focus because understanding how to manage them may help generate an important belowground carbon sink..\u00a0Nancy also directs the\u00a0Soil Ecology Lab<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n Dr. John Klironomos:<\/strong>\u00a0John is a Professor of Biology and Associate Dean of Research at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, where he directs the\u00a0Klironomos Lab<\/a>. John’s long-term research goal is to understand the structure and functioning of \u00a0mycorrhizal symbioses in natural ecosystems. More specifically, the aim is to understand how mycorrhizal fungi are distributed in space and time, to describe how they interact with each other and their environment, to determine their potential for influencing plant community structure, to assess their contribution to carbon and nutrient cycling, and to develop strategies for manipulating and managing the symbiosis in agriculture, forestry, and landscape rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n Dr. Roger Koide:\u00a0<\/strong>Roger is a Professor of Biology in the College of Life Sciences at Brigham Young University, where he directs the\u00a0Koide Lab<\/a>. Roger is interested in the physiological, population and community ecology of plants and associated fungi, including mycorrhizal fungi. Roger, who has researched mycorrhiza fungi for more than 25 years, works in both natural and agricultural ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n Dr. R. Michael Miller:<\/strong>\u00a0Mike is a Senior Terrestrial Ecologist,\u00a0Biosciences Division<\/a>, Argonne National Laboratory and a\u00a0Senior Fellow, Institute for Genomic & Systems Biology, University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory.\u00a0Mike research interests include mechanisms of adaptation in plants and mycorrhizal fungi as influenced by climate\u00a0change and disturbance; effects of mycorrhizal fungi on vegetation and soil community structure and function; ecophysiology of mycorrhizal plants and their fungi; and application of molecular tools to understanding rhizosphere mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n Dr. Lee Taylor:\u00a0<\/strong>Lee is an Associate Professor and Associate Department Chair in the\u00a0Department of Biology<\/a>\u00a0at the University of New Mexico.\u00a0Lee’s research interests include evolutionary ecology of plant\u2013microbe interactions and fungal biodiversity. Lee also directs the Taylor Lab<\/span>, which is interested in the study of various aspects\u00a0of the evolution and ecology of plants, fungi, and bacteria.<\/p>\n\n Dr. Gail W. T. Wilson:\u00a0<\/strong>Gail is a Professor in the\u00a0Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management<\/a> at Oklahoma State University. Gail’s research interests are in plant community ecology, plant-soil microbe interactions, and plant-animal interactions, utilizing a combination of experimental field and greenhouse studies. The majority of her research focuses on rangeland ecology and management, fire ecology, nutrient dynamics, and grassland restoration, with an emphasis on belowground mechanisms such as mycorrhizal symbiosis and belowground populations of meristems.<\/p>\n \n
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