The Department of Plant Pathology has 13 full-time faculty positions in Research and Extension, and is well supported by technical and clerical staff. We are a small department, but by concentrating our resources, we have built one of the most ambitious research programs in molecular plant-microbe interactions in the field. The graduate program offers Masters and Ph.D. degrees. It is a highly selective program with a strong focus on intensive advising.

We are firmly committed to cutting-edge, basic plant pathology research. We focus our research on plant-microbe interactions, especially those involving viruses and fungi. Our faculty members have earned international reputations and numerous honors for their research. Our department attracts generous extramural support for our research, and as a result, our facilities are exceptionally well equipped for modern plant pathology and molecular biology research.