Plants and animals exist in constant interaction with diverse microbial communities, most of which are not harmful. However, shifts in environmental conditions or host immunity can lead to pathogenic outcomes. My research focuses on understanding how host environments influence bacterial metabolism and shape the dynamics of plant-microbe interactions, with an emphasis on both pathogenic and commensal relationships. 

Using the economically important Ralstonia-tomato system as a model for bacterial wilt diseases, I investigate how the xylem environment governs bacterial behavior and host resistance. This work has provided key insights into the metabolic strategies that bacteria employ during colonization and infection. 

Expanding beyond plant disease, I also study Arabidopsis-Pseudomonas interactions to uncover molecular mechanisms that drive host-microbiome relationships, including factors that differentiate beneficial and opportunistic bacteria. By developing a plant model of opportunistic pathogenesis, I aim to identify bacterial signaling cascades that regulate microbial metabolism in response to host-derived cues. 

My research program integrates molecular biology, microbial ecology, and plant pathology to explore how environmental and host factors shape microbial lifestyles. Understanding these interactions has broad implications for managing plant diseases, improving agricultural sustainability, and deciphering fundamental principles of host-microbe relationships.

Research Areas:

• • Host-Mediated Microbial Resistance and Symbiosis: Exploring how plant biochemical defenses and planting landscape contribute to disease resistance and beneficial associations.

  • Regulatory Networks of Pathogenic and Beneficial Microbes: Examining genetic pathways that control bacterial transitions between symbiosis and pathogenesis.

  • Microbial Ecology: Investigating how pathogen-host interactions affect microbiome composition and how non-eradication pathogen control impacts stakeholders.