Archived News

Owen Duckworth has been named a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America.  Congratulations on this recognition!

Congratulations to Manuel Kleiner on achieving tenure!  We wish you continued success!

Read about Ignazio Carbone’s and James White’s  Tree-Based Alignment Selector (T-BAS) toolkit for assembling a Phytophthora “Tree of Life” in collaboration with Jean Ristaino and colleagues:  https://news.ncsu.edu/2023/04/researchers-assemble-pathogen-tree-of-life/

Congratulations to Manuel Kleiner who was included in NC State’s 2022-23 class of University Faculty Scholars!

Alun Lloyd has been named as the College of Sciences’ Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.  Read all about it HERE.  Congratulations!

Kevin Garcia’s research focuses on the symbiotic relationship between Mycorrhizal fungi and plants.  Read all about how “Fungi Could Be the Future of Healthier Plants“.

The next Darwin Days event will focus primarily on fungi and is scheduled for Saturday, November 12, 2022 (10 am – 5 pm). We invite you to join us and participate in this public science education event on fungal biology and evolution.

Congratulations to Ben Callahan, the 2023 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) 2023 Data Prize awardee!  More about his journey and contributions can be found HERE.

Congratulations to Manuel Kleiner, who received $700,000 of funding from the Department Of Energy to work on soil necromass with the DOE Biological & Environmental Research Program.

Read all about Marcela Rojas-Pierce’s Plants In Space HERE.

William Neal Reynolds Professor Jean Ristaino together with co-applicants Ignazio Carbone, Peter Ojiambo, Chris Jones, Kelly Zering, Laura Tateosian, Qingshan Wei, Ranga Vatsavai, Ross Meetenmeyer and Jason Delborne have been awarded a $1 million Phase I planning grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to use real-time analytics to monitor and predict emerging plant diseases. The announcement can be found HERE.

Amy Grunden and her co-applicants (Lars Hestbjerg Hansen, Rosanna Catherine Hennessy,  Mette Haubjerg Nicolaisen, Jens Stougaard, Dugald Reid, Paul Schulze-Lefert, and Harro Bouwmeester) were awarded funds to plan and host the upcoming Copenhagen Bioscience Conference “Exploring Plant-Microbe Interactions for Enhanced Crop Resilience”  which will be held November 13-17th. You are all encouraged to submit an application to attend (September 1, 2022 application deadline).

The next Darwin Days event will focus primarily on fungi and is scheduled for Saturday, November 12, 2022 (10 am – 5 pm). We invite you to join us and participate in this public science education event on fungal biology and evolution.

Congratulations to Marc Cubeta and Shuijin Hu for their selection as a 2021 AAAS Fellow!

Marc Cubeta recently developed an online “Why Mushroom grown in my Yard (Sometimes) video for the North Carolina State University Extension Homegrown series.  This series provides educational information on timely topics to non-traditional audiences across the state (particularly for younger families in urban and suburban settings) to help address their interests and needs!

Marc Cubeta, students from his laboratory and Introduction to Mycology (PP575) class, and colleague Dr. Henry Van Cotter, participated in the recent Darwin Days event at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on November 13, 2021. They organized an educational outreach exhibit entitled “Fungi and animals: an evolutionary history” to provide visitors with information on the diversity and evolution of fungi, their interactions with animals and importance to society. More than 1800 visitors eager to learn about fungi attended this exhibit.

Our newest CIFR faculty member, Marcela Rojas-Pierce  and her postdoctoral fellow, Mengying Wang, are studying how microgravity affect plant cellular processes at the International Space Station, with funding from the North Carolina Space Grant.  Read all about their exciting research adventure HERE.

Shuijin Hu has been named a 2021 Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.  The announcement is posted HERE.  Congratulations Shuijin!!!

Upcoming Event: Pests and Pathogens Research Showcase. Virtual event on September 14 (9 am – noon). NC State’s Center for Integrated Fungal ResearchCenter for Integrated Pest Management, and Center for Geospatial Analytics combine forces to showcase their collaborative projects. For Event & Registration information, click HERE.

Congratulations to Marc Cubeta and Shuijin Hu for their selection as a 2021 AAAS Fellow!

Marc Cubeta recently developed an online “Why Mushroom grown in my Yard (Sometimes) video for the North Carolina State University Extension Homegrown series.  This series provides educational information on timely topics to non-traditional audiences across the state (particularly for younger families in urban and suburban settings) to help address their interests and needs.

Marc Cubeta, students from his laboratory and Introduction to Mycology (PP575) class, and colleague Dr. Henry Van Cotter, participated in the recent Darwin Days event at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on November 13, 2021. They organized an educational outreach exhibit entitled “Fungi and animals: an evolutionary history” to provide visitors with information on the diversity and evolution of fungi, their interactions with animals and importance to society. More than 1800 visitors eager to learn about fungi attended this exhibit. The next Darwin Days event will focus primarily on fungi and is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 12, 2022. We invite you to join us and participate in our next public science education event on fungal biology and evolution.

Our newest CIFR faculty member, Marcela Rojas-Pierce  and her postdoctoral fellow, Mengying Wang, are studying how microgravity affect plant cellular processes at the International Space Station, with funding from the North Carolina Space Grant.  Read all about their exciting research adventure HERE.

Congratulations to Marc Cubeta who is serving as the 89th president of the Mycological Society of America!  The announcement can be found HERE.

Ralph Dean has a new partnership with SAS and Microsoft, through the Plant Sciences Initiative (PSI) to develop small sensors that can perceive volatile organic compounds and detect plant diseases.  Read more about this exciting collaboration HERE.

Congratulations to Christine Hawks for receiving a $1.4M grant from NSF to study the effect of droughts on soil microbes. The announcement can be found in CALS news.

Congratulations to Kevin Garcia for receiving a $740,000 grant from the USDA to study how symbiotic root fungi help legumes get potassium.  The announcement can be found in CALS news.

Congratulations to Francis de los Reyes who was awarded a 2020 Patents for Humanity Award by the US Patents and Trademark Office for his Flexcrevator project.  The Flexcrevator is a machine that enables fast, safe, and hygienic fecal sludge removal, surpassing manual emptying.  The announcement can be found HERE.

Marc Cubeta was featured on the local news (CBS17): “Fungus among us: Why are mushrooms taking over central NC lawns?”.  The video version can be found HERE.

The CAST article on “Agriculture and the Microbiome” by Ignazio Carbone, Megan Andrews and Owen Duckworth was featured in WRAL TechWire and CALS news.  The link to the publication and the webinar (presented by Ignazio and Megan) can be found HERE.

Congratulations to Manuel Kleiner on receiving a $1.8M NIH grant to study the gut microbiome!  The announcement can be found HERE.

Margo Daub was featured in the CALS news.  Congratulations on all your achievements at NC-state.  We wish you well in your retirement! Read all about her CALS career HERE.

Congratulations to Owen Duckworth for receiving the Jackson Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy Award! The announcement is posted HERE.

Congratulations to Amy Grunden for being named Assistant Director for the Life Sciences for the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service (NCARS)!!! The announcement is posted HERE.

Congratulations to Francis de los Reyes for being elected to the National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines!!

Please join us in welcoming Marcela Rojas-Pierce to CIFR!  Marcela is an Associate Professor in Plant and Microbial Biology.

The GRIP4PSI collaborative research project led by Christine Hawkes to Increase Disease and Drought Resistance was highlighted in CALS news.   The article is titled Using Leaf Fungi to Improve Crop Resilience.

Congratulations to Marc Cubeta for receiving the 2020 APS Excellence in Teaching Award!

Congratulations to Peter Ojiambo who has been selected as one of this year’s University Faculty Scholars!

Congratulations to CIFR members Christine Hawkes, Nathan Crook, Kevin Garcia, and Amy Grunden for their contributions to two of the four successful GRIP-4PSI proposals!

Please join us in welcoming Manuel Kleiner and Nick Buchler to CIFR! Manuel is an Assistant Professor in Plant and Microbial Biology, and Nick is an Associate Professor in Molecular Biomedical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

A huge congratulations to Amy Grunden and the rest of the NC State team (including CIFR members Ignazio Carbone, Marc Cubeta, Christine Hawkes, Oliver Baars, and Manuel Kleiner ) for successfully developing the new Collaborative Crop Resilience Program (CCRP) with the support of the Novo Nordisk Foundation!

Congratulations to Francis de los Reyes for receiving an NSF grant to track novel Coronavirus in wastewater.

Congratulations to Ignazio Carbone (Fellow) and Peter Ojiambo (Syngenta Award) for their 2019 American Phytopathological Society awards!

A highlight reel from the 3rd Microbiome Movement AgBioTech Summit in February 2019 includes a testimonial from Manuel Kleiner and a very brief cameo by Megan Andrews.

Congratulations to Amy Grunden for being named a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor!

Manuel Kleiner was recently interviewed on Radio In Vivo: https://radioinvivo.org/2019/01/16/microbial-communities/.

Nathan Crook‘s proposal titled “High-throughput screening for genes to improve performance of crop plant microbiomes using functional metagenomics” was selected for funding by the Plant Soil Microbial Community Consortium (PSMCC) for FY19. Congratulations!

Nasie Constantino, a postdoc in Ralph Dean’s laboratory, is part of a project developing sensors to detect volatile organic compounds from plants. This project won the 2018 BASF Science Competition, which recognizes young North American researchers making headway with problem-solving ideas. Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations to Marc Cubeta for being selected as one of the 2018 CALS Outstanding Alumni!

Congratulations to Lindsey Becker for being selected as one of the 17 inaugural recipients of the FFAR Fellows award! Lindsey is a Professional Development FFAR Fellow in the Plant Pathology Department at NC State. Her research examines the beneficial relationship between Mortierella elongate, a fungus that breaks down organic matter in soil, and tomato plants. Becker’s industry sponsor is Novozymes.

Peter Ojiambo recently returned from a trip to Bosnia as part of a collaboration between NC State and the dairy industry in Bosnia.

Marc Cubeta and colleagues were part of a collaborative workshop entitled “Drawers, Jars and Databases: Teaching the Hidden Science of Natural History Museums” on July 9-11, 2018.

Several undergraduate researchers from NC State and other universities took part in summer research programs in CIFR laboratories this year. Posters of their research were presented at the Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium on July 30, 2018. We hope you all enjoyed your research experience and wish you the best in the remainder of your university experience!

Several CIFR faculty are mentioned in a recent CALS news article discussing interdisciplinary, collaborative research to “Harness plant-microbe interactions for crop resilience.”

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Nathan Crook to CIFR! Nathan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. We will also be welcoming Dr. Christine Hawkes and Dr. Kevin Garcia to CIFR when they join the NC State faculty later this summer.

Congratulations to Francis de los Reyes III for receiving an Outstanding Teacher Award!

The new model of graduate education and training proposed in the Duckworth, Andrews, Cubeta, Grunden, and Ojiambo Agriculture & Environmental Letters paper has gotten some additional attention in the February 2018 csa news.

Dr. Oliver Baars is a new Assistant Professor in the Center for Integrated Fungal Research (CIFR), Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, NC State. He is filling the Biochemical Interactome position within CIFR. Welcome Oliver!

Marc Cubeta and colleagues hosted a Fungal Biology and Biodiversity STEM Educational Module Development workshop for biology/environmental science teachers on July 14-18, 2017 at the University of Georgia-Athens (UGA). The workshop was sponsored by the Mycological Society of America (MSA) and National Science Foundation.

Congratulations to Ralph Dean for his new role as Editor in Chief of Molecular Plant Pathology!

Congratulations to Peter Ojiambo for his successful election as APS Councilor-at-Large!

Gary Payne, we wish you all the best in your retirement! Congratulations!

CIFR faculty member Amy Grunden was one of several NC State researchers visiting VIB in Belgium as part of the plant science partnership established between VIB and NC State University last year.

The Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and Center For Integrated Fungal Research at North Carolina State University recently hosted the 38th annual Mid-Atlantic States Mycology Conference on April 21-23, 2017 in Raleigh, NC. The event included an informal gathering, research presentations, and a fungal foray!

We welcome our newest CIFR faculty members: Francis de los Reyes, Professor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, Associate Faculty of Microbiology, and Training Faculty of Biotechnology, and University Faculty Scholar  and Wei Shi, Professor in the Crop and Soil Science Department.

Owen Duckworth‘s recent paper on manganese oxides in a treatment plant has been highlighted at NC State and the Department of Energy (Jan. 27, 2017).

In January, 2017, Ralph Dean returns from his sabbatical at INRA Versailles-Grignon, based in the heart of the Île-de-France (Paris region). Welcome back!

Summer College in Biotechnology and Life Sciences (SCIBLS) Fungal Foray

Congratulations to Dr. Marc Cubeta  for receiving the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award for 2016 and being elected into the NC State University Academy of Outstanding Teachers.

New NC State consortium to study microbes at the root-soil interface

Congratulations to Dr. Ignazio Carbone and Dr. Eric Stone for their selection as 2014-15 University Faculty Scholars!

The annual University Faculty Scholars Program was established in 2012 by Chancellor Woodson to recognize and reward emerging academic leaders among our faculty. Dr. Carbone and Dr. Stone are among eighteen NCSU faculty members that were honored as University Scholars in this third group of recipients. The recognition comes with a significant award supplement and will be formally presented in a university ceremony in early 2015. 2014/15 University Faculty Scholar

Congratulations to Dr. Owen Duckworth for receiving an NSF award on “Elucidating the Effects of Structure on the Redox Reactivity of MycogenicMn Oxide Nanoparticles”!