Department Directory: Staff

All Staff

  • Gayan Abeysinghe

    Postdoctoral Research Associate

    Focus: Molecular Microbiology, Microbial Networks, Fungal-Bacterial Interactions

    979-326-7329

    PLPM 213D

  • Erin Arthur

    Ph.D. Candidate

    Focus: Development of a management plan for pecan leaf dieback.

  • Hannah Ayala

    Project Manager I
    Head Diagnostician, TPDDL-CS

    Focus: Plant disease diagnostics

    (979) 845-8032

    1500 Research Parkway, Suite A130 College Station, TX 77845

  • Caleb Oliver Bedsole

    Ph.D. Student

    Focus: My research focuses on examining how adhesive and spore morphology, as well as conidial development, affect the distribution of conidia in Colletotrichum.

  • Sonya Bouse

    Business Coordinator III

    979-845-8272

    305 PLPM

  • Jennifer Chagoya

    Technician III

    Focus: Molecular detection and quantification of Fusarium wilt pathogens in cotton

    806-746-6101

    Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock

  • Katy Ellison

    Senior Business Administrator I

    979-845-7313

    PLPM 308

  • Paul Goetze

    Extension Assistant

    Focus: Laboratory manager, field sampling, data collection, experimental runs. Focus on pecan scab, take-all root rot of turfgrass, rice kernel smut, fungicide efficacy.

  • Heather Hirsch

    Director of Corporate Relations

    979-431-3740

  • Pei-Chang Huang

    Postdoctoral Research Associate

    Focus: My primary research focuses on elucidating the requirement of plant oxylipins for signaling defense responses to pests and pathogens and for tolerance against abiotic stresses.

    979-458-4624

    PLPM 110

  • Megan Hutchison

    Director of Development

    979-431-4122

  • Samantha Knackstadt

    Extension Assistant

    Focus: Oversee daily lab duties/tests at the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab.

    Centeq A130

  • Elena Kolomiets

    Technical Lab Coordinator

    Focus: Oversee prep and teaching TAs for the PLPA 303 labs. Grow plants and prepare materials for the labs. Conduct Common equipment repairs and submit requests to SSC and see them to completion. Prepare materials for yearly equipment inventories and facilitate surplus procedures.

    979-571-3505

  • Abby Korn

    Postdoctoral Research Associate

    Focus: Bacteriophage research for both human and plant pathogens.

  • Yuanhao Liang


    Focus: Engineer cyanobacteria to produce biofuels. Influence of different carbon source on bacteria.

    979-344-8166

    PLPM

  • Jiaxing Liu

    Postdoctoral Research Associate

  • Bin Long

    Associate Research Scientist

    Focus: Engineering microorganisms for diverse applications

  • Krista McCallum

    Administrative Coordinator II

    Focus: Provides administrative support to Department Head and Associate Department Heads.

    979-845-4526

    PLPM 312

  • Sam Murdock

    Academic Program Coordinator

    Focus: Oversees and coordinates academic & student service programs within BESC/PLPM.

    979-845-2388

    PLPM 324

  • Taylor Nobles

    Business Coordinator II

    Focus: Accounts Payable/Receivable Travel

    979-845-8296

    PLPM 307

  • Courtney Overby

    Program Coordinator

    Focus: Receiving samples, answering phone calls, emails and doing invoicing and payments.

    979-845-8032

    Centeq A130 College Station

  • Kati Stoddard

    Instructional Associate Professor and Associate Director for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at the Center for Teaching Excellence

    Focus: An evidence-based approach to teaching and learning that is inclusive, supported by appropriate instructional technology, transformative, and immersively engaging.

    979-845-8278

    PLPM 322

  • Cooper Svajda

    Research Assistant/Greenhouse Manager

    979-571-6770

  • Chi-Kuan Tu

    Research Assistant

    979-326-2465

    Weslaco Center

  • Jake Ueckert

    Project Manager

    Focus: Optimization and validation of molecular diagnostic methods for plant pathogen detection.

    979-845-2802

    336 PLPM

  • Guichun Yao

    Research Specialist III

    979-845-7610

    PLPM 331

  • Peiguo Yuan

    Postdoctoral Research Associate

    Focus: studying genes and metabolites of lipid-based biochemical and signal transduction pathways in maize

    509-338-5804

    496 Olsen Blvd, room 110, College Station, TX 77840

  • Huan Zhang

    Associate Research Scientist