We are a diverse group of researchers and educators with interests in the ecology, evolution, and potential applications of symbioses. Our special focus is on the fungal portion of plant microbiomes, with particular interest in foliar endophytic fungi and the soilborne fungi that interact with seeds -- but our interests also include mycorrhizal fungi, insect-associated fungi, and fungal-bacterial interactions. Our field sites range from the Arctic to tropical rainforests, and our skills encompass traditional microbiology, field ecology, phylogenetics, and genomics. We are increasingly interested in the applications of fungal symbionts of plants in smart agriculture. Our home is in the School of Plant Sciences, UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences -- but we have collaborators and connections across UA's interdisciplinary campus community and beyond. Thank you for meeting us!
A representative sample of the Arnold lab, fall 2024 • Standing, L-R: Erica Cortez, Griffin Davis, Ryan Cotter, Matthew Chun, Aki Egami, Ethan Smook, Caroline Mario, David Dong, Emmett Bauer, Josh Oyekanmi. Seated: Cole Barruffi, Pablo Arán, Ciara Garcia, Ming-Min Lee. Kneeling: Camille Griego, Brooke Sykes, Kieryn Zizzo. Behind the camera: Betsy. Not pictured: Jim Legins, Neda Arad.
Senior lab members
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Dr. A. Elizabeth Arnold (Betsy), PI (she/hers); Ciara Garcia, PhD candidate and NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Plant Sciences, co-advised with Dave Baltrus; Brooke Sykes, PhD candidate and University Fellow, Plant Sciences; Neda Arad, PhD student and NSF NRT BRIDGES Fellow, Plant Sciences; Pablo Arán, PhD student in EEB, BRIDGES participant and Fulbright fellow, co-advised with Scott Saleska; Caroline Maro, PhD student in Plant Pathology; Erica Cortez, PhD student, ABBS/Plant Sciences, BRIDGES Fellow, and IMSD Fellow; Jim Legins, PhD student, ABBS/Plant Sciences, co-advised with primary advisor Duke Pauli; Griffin Davis, MS student, Plant Sciences, BRIDGES Fellow; Kieryn Zizzo, MS student, Plant Pathology, BRIDGES Fellow; Joseph Myers, Curatorial Assistant, Robert L. Gilbertson Mycological Herbarium; Ming-Min Lee, MS, lab manager extraordinaire
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Undergraduates
Former postdocs: Dr. Camilo Zalamea, seed-associated fungi and tropical forest dynamics, now Assistant Professor, University of South Florida • Dr. Joe Spraker, fungal-bacterial communication, now Scientist, Hexagon Bio • Dr. Naupaka Zimmerman, Biogeography, fungi-host interactions, comparative genomics of foliar fungi, now Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of San Francisco • Dr. Nicholas Garber, sustainable agriculture, now Conservation Program Manager, Native Seeds/SEARCH • Dr. Jana U'Ren, Dimensions of Biodiversity/endophytes of the boreal biome, now Assistant Professor, Biosystems Engineering, University of Arizona • Dr. Sarah Higginbotham, fungal secondary metabolites, Project Manager, Isomerase Therapeutics. Former graduate students:
Doctoral students: Dr. Michele Hoffman, Plant Pathology, PhD: graduated 5/2010 - Retired, US Homeland Security • Dr. Jana U'Ren, PhD, Plant Pathology: graduated 12/2011 - Assistant Professor, Washington State University • Dr. Mariana del Olmo Ruiz, PhD, Plant Pathology: graduated 8/2012 - research scientist, Institute for Ecology, UNAM, Mexico • Dr. Ellen Martinson, PhD, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (NSF GRFP): graduated 12/2012 - Assistant Professor, University of New Mexico • Dr. Mary Jane Epps, PhD, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: graduated 12/2012 - Assistant Professor, Mary Baldwin College • Dr. Justin Shaffer, PhD, Plant Pathology: graduated 7/2017 - Assistant Professor, California State University - Fresno • Dr. Yu-Ling Huang, PhD, Plant Sciences: graduated 7/2017 - Curator of Mycology, Taiwanese National Museum. • Dr. Liz Bowman, PhD, Plant Pathology (NSF GRFP): graduated 6/2020 - Industry scientist - Hiro Technologies • Dr. Shuzo Oita, PhD, Plant Pathology: graduated 1/2021 - Industry scientist, Japan • Dr. Aasiya Hamzazai, PhD, Plant Sciences: graduated 1/2021 - lecturer, Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. • Dr. Alison Harrington, PhD, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (NSF GRFP); graduated 1/2022 - Collections manager, University of Michigan Fungal Herbarium. • Dr. Nicole Colón-Carrión, PhD, Plant Pathology (NSF GRFP), graduated summer 2022 - Industry scientist - Corteva. Dr. Victoria Luizzi, PhD, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, graduated fall 2024 - postoctoral scientist. Master's students: Dustin Sandberg, MS, Plant Pathology: graduated 5/2013 - plant pathologist, USDA/APHIS/PPQ • Kayla Arendt, MS, Plant Pathology: graduated 1/2015 - K-12 teacher, STEM • Chantelle Khambholja, MS, Plant Pathology: graduated 5/2015 - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine • Sarah Araldi-Brondolo, MS, Plant Pathology: graduated 8/2016 - industry position in plant microbiomes/pursuing PhD • Gavin Lehr, MS, Biology: graduated 1/2018 - K-12 teacher, STEM • Emma Woytenko, MS, Genetics: graduated 8/2018 - Industry scientist - Bayer. • Ashton Leo, MS, Plant Pathology: graduated 8/2019 - plant pathologist, USDA APHIS PPQ • Desirae Kissell, Plant Sciences, graduated 12/2019 - soil scientist, USDA NRCS/Muskogee Tribe • Cindy Bujanda, MS, Applied Biotechnology, graduated 1/2021 - STEM teaching • John-Lee Sky Walker, MS, Wildlife; co-advised; primary advisor, Bob Steidl; graduated 12/2022 - wildlife monitoring, Pima County • Taylor Portman, MS, Environmental Science; co-advised; primary advisor, Malak Tfaily; graduated 6/2023 • Mariam Marand, MS, Plant Sciences, graduated 12/2023 • Josh Oyekanmi, MS, Plant Sciences, graduated 5/2024 • Qiuyu Jiang, MS, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, graduated 12/2024. Former undergraduates: David Asad, Sara AlSaify, Keve Toth, McKinsey Tighe, Cheyenne Freeman, Haley Holzer, Baily Daugherty, Dahliya Brown, Vanessa Chery, Robin Bradley, Cody Dehler, Chau Nguyen, Shaniya Scott, Jusvin Gofandi, Nic Katz, David Ozro Woods, Jessie Crown, Victoria Howard, Christina Brown, Bah Ruth Bigman, Priscilla Alonso, Cadence Flohrschutz, Mykell Sam, Arielle De La Cruz, Hesham Alnasser, Heidi Drassinower, Caroline Plecki, Adam Leon‡ Divine Kickingbird, Ana Peñuñuri, Dylann Cordova, Erin McCabe, Alicia Scull, Lucas Mulcahy, Ian Kline, Mohammed Alhaddad, Kiana Clarke, Zachary Hawkins, Rayah Mdanat, Tyler Pesqueira, Kendra Thomas, Leon Toledo, Warren Mountain, Adam Fernandez, Jenhiva Salazar, Jamie Carey, Christina Brown, Larson Matzdorff, Yuwei Ding, Halina Siewiora, Jose Orozco, Sequoia Fischer, Nathaniel Yang, Maithili Kandekhar, Emma Louise Jong, Melissa Morris, Daniel Hayden, Ashton Leo, Ellen Pat, Michael Taylor, James Cunningham, Sean Quigley, Jorge Ramos, Thinh Tran, Brigid Heffernan, Vanessa Chicharello, Melissa Kohmetscher, Brittany Wohl, Trevor Mock, Phornpoj Imtaramkarang, Joseph Myers, Brianna Talbot, Carl Patterson-Markowitz, Courtney Klopper, Emily Hendershot, Abigail Maze, Owyn Stokes, Haley Williams K-12 teachers and Tribal College faculty: Mariel Quim, Michelle Tozer, Gavin Lehr, Margaret Wilch, Susan Furr, Jim Uomoto, Barbara Klein, Rowina Dolino‡, Steve Uyeda, Mary Shimabukuro, Jeremy Jonas For pics of the Arnold lab through the years, see below! |
Ethan Smook, Emmett Bauer (NSF-REU), Camille Griego, David Dong, Matthew Chun, Cole Barruffi, and Ryan Cotter |
And some of our wonderful Arnold lab alumni! More to come...!
