Degree Programs Offered: Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy

Director of Graduate Program: Professor Bingru Huang, Foran Hall, George H. Cook Campus (848-932-6390)

Website: http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~plantbio

Members of the Graduate Faculty

Faith C. Belanger, Associate Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Illinois
Plant molecular biology; endophyte interaction

Joan W. Bennett, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs; Ph.D., Chicago
Genetics and biosynthesis of fungal natural products; fungal genomics

Stacy Bonos, Associate Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology; SEBS; Ph.D., Rutgers
Turfgrass breeding; disease resistance; marker-assisted selection

A.J. Both, Assistant Extension Specialist in Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Cornell
Controlled environment agriculture; crop modeling; systems analysis

Chee-kok Chin, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Alberta
Breeding; genetic improvement; bioactive fatty acids

Bruce B. Clarke, Associate Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Director, Center for Turfgrass Science; Ph.D., Rutgers
Turfgrass pathology; soilborne diseases; disease forecasting and control; mycology 

Rong Di, Assistant Research Professor of Biotechnology, SEBS; Ph.D., Iowa State
Mechanisms of shiga-like toxins produced by E. coli 0157:H7; development of molecular techniques for food safety

Juan Dong, Assistant Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS/WIM; Ph.D., California (Riverside)
Polarity proteins; cell polarity; cell fate

Hugo K. Dooner, Professor of Genetics, SEBS/WIM; Ph.D., Wisconsin
Molecular analysis of functional genomics; homologous meiotic recombination in plants

Edward F. Durner, Associate Research Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., North Carolina State
Low-temperature stress resistance in tree fruit

Chaim Frenkel, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Washington State
Postharvest biology; senescence, fruit ripening, and stress

Randy Gaugler, Professor of Entomology, SEBS; Ph.D., Wisconsin
Invertebrate pathology; nematology; biological control

Thomas J. Gianfagna, Research Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Cornell
Plant growth regulators; physiology of fruit crops

Joseph C. Goffreda, Associate Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Director, Rutgers Fruit Research and Extension Center; Ph.D., Cornell
Genetics and breeding; pest resistance in solanaceous crops

Ann B. Gould, Associate Extension Specialist in Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Kentucky
Ornamental pathology

Jason Grabosky, Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, SEBS; Ph.D., Cornell
Urban forestry and urban tree establishment

Steven N. Handel, Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, SEBS; Ph.D., Cornell
Plant population ecology; pollination biology; ecological genetics

Stephen E. Hart, Assistant Extension Specialist in Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Michigan State
Weed management in turfgrass and ornamentals

Jean Marie Hartman, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, SEBS; Ph.D., Connecticut
Plant ecology; community ecology; restoration ecology; land planning

Joseph R. Heckman, Associate Extension Specialist in Soil Fertility, SEBS; Ph.D., North Carolina State 
Plant nutrition; soil fertility

Bingru Huang, Associate Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Texas Tech
Environmental stress physiology of turfgrass

Harry W. Janes, Research Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Rutgers
Plant environmental interactions

Gojko Jelenkovic, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., California (Davis)
Genetic manipulation of plants

Hector Rodolfo Juliani, Assistant Research Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Córdoba (Spain)
Biology, chemistry, and quality of plants and their natural products

Donald Y. Kobayashi, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., California (Riverside)
Plant bacteriology; host-pathogen interaction; molecular biology

Norman Lalancette, Associate Extension Specialist in Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State 
Epidemiology; plant disease control; tree fruit pathology

Eric Lam, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., California (Berkeley)
Gene regulating mechanisms in plants; development and photomorphogenesis

Michael A. Lawton, Associate Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Oxford
Molecular biology; plant pathogen interactions

Thomas Leustek, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Rutgers
Metabolism and biochemistry

Bradley A. Majek, Associate Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Cornell 
Weed science

Pal Maliga, Professor of Genetics, SAS/WIM; Ph.D., Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Plant molecular biology; plastid genetics

Joachim W. Messing, University Professor of Molecular Biology; Director of the Waksman Institute of Microbiology; Ph.D., Munich
Functional genomics breeding

William A. Meyer, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Associate Director, Center for Turfgrass Science; Ph.D., Illinois
Turfgrass breeding; disease resistance; endophytes

Thomas J. Molnar, Assistant Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Rutgers
Plant genetic improvement; underutilized nut crops and woody ornamentals

James Murphy, Associate Extension Specialist in Turfgrass Management, SEBS; Ph.D., Michigan State
Development of management systems that minimize stress and improve turf performance

Thomas J. Orton, Extension Specialist in Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Michigan State
Developmental genetics of fruit composition

Peter Oudemans, Associate Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., California (Riverside)
Fungal plant diseases; population biology of fungi

Ilya Raskin, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Michigan State
Phytopharmaceuticals; molecular biochemistry

Mark G. Robson, Professor of Entomology and Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, SEBS; Ph.D., Rutgers
Horticulture; public health 

James E. Simon, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Massachusetts (Amherst)
Natural plant products; new crops, germplasm, and breeding

Lena Struwe, Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources/Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Stockholm
Evolutionary history, diversity, and biogeography of gentians and relatives

Nilgun E. Tumer, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Purdue
Molecular biology of plant viruses; virus replication; disease resistance; plant transformation

Nicholi Vorsa, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Director, Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension; Ph.D., Rutgers
Genetic and cytological studies in blueberries and cranberries

James F. White, Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Texas
Systematic mycology; studies of endophytes and epibionts

Qing-Li Wu, Assistant Research Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Peking Union/Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Plant-based medicines; natural product chemistry

George J. Wulster, Professor and Extension Specialist in Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Rutgers
Root growth and physiology activity

Ning Zhang, Assistant Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology and of Biochemistry and Microbiology, SEBS; Ph.D., Louisiana State
Population; evolutionary biology; molecular detection of fungi on grasses

Barbara A. Zilinskas, Professor of Plant Biochemistry, SEBS; Ph.D., Illinois
Molecular biology; physiology of environmental stress response

Gladis Zinati, Assistant Extension Specialist in Plant Biology and Pathology, SEBS; Ph.D., Michigan
Nursery crops; environmentally sound plant production

Associate Members of the Graduate Faculty 

Daniel Giménez, Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences, SEBS; Ph.D., Minnesota
Soil structure; water movement and solute transport through soils; soil quality

James J. Polashock, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS Fruit Lab, Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension; Ph.D., Rutgers
Plant breeding and genetic improvement; plant pathology; blueberry and strawberry improvement