Department Directory: Staff

All Staff

  • Gayan Abeysinghe - No photo available

    Gayan Abeysinghe

    Postdoctoral Research Associate

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

    979-326-7329

    PLPM 213D

  • Ayala, Hannah

    Hannah Ayala

    Project Manager I
    Head Diagnostician, TPDDL-CS

    Focus: Plant disease diagnostics, Extension outreach

    (979) 321-5390

    Centeq Building 130A

  • Bedsole, Caleb Oliver

    Caleb Oliver Bedsole

    Ph.D. Candidate

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

  • Chagoya, Jennifer C.

    Jennifer C. Chagoya

    Assistant Research Scientist

    Focus: Fungal plant pathogens and plant-parasitic nematodes, with emphasis on molecular detection and identification, and applied disease research

    806-723-8423

    Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock

  • Paul Goetze - No photo available

    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.

  • Hirsch, Heather

    Heather Hirsch

    Director of Corporate Philanthropy

    979-431-3740

  • Huang, Pei-Cheng

    Pei-Cheng Huang

    Assistant Research Scientist

    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.

    979-862-1795

    PLPM 333E

  • Hutchison, Megan

    Megan Hutchison

    Director of Development

    979-431-4122

  • Kolomiets, Elena

    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 - No photo available

    Abby Korn

    Postdoctoral Research Associate

    Focus: Bacteriophage research for both human and plant pathogens.

  • McCallum, Krista

    Krista McCallum

    Senior Administrative Coordinator I

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

    979-845-4526

    PLPM 312

  • Murdock, Sam

    Sam Murdock

    Academic Program Coordinator

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

    979-845-2388

    PLPM 324

  • Overby, Courtney

    Courtney Overby

    Program Coordinator

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

    979-321-5390

    Centeq A130 College Station

  • Ramirez, Jennifer

    Jennifer Ramirez

    Business Coordinator III

    979-314-3994

    PLPM 307

  • Sanchez, Aubrey

    Aubrey Sanchez

    Senior Business Administrator I

    979-314-2257

    PLPM 308

  • Stoddard, Kati

    Kati Stoddard

    Instructional 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

  • Svajda, Cooper

    Cooper Svajda

    Research Assistant/Greenhouse Manager

    979-571-6770

  • Chi-Kuan Tu - No photo available

    Chi-Kuan Tu

    Research Assistant

    979-326-2465

    Weslaco Center

  • Jake Ueckert - No photo available

    Jake Ueckert

    Project Manager

    Focus: Optimization and validation of molecular diagnostic methods for plant pathogen detection. Evaluation of efficacy and crop safety of pesticides for greenhouse ornamental crops.

    979-845-2802

    336 PLPM

  • Wagner, Tanya

    Tanya Wagner

    Research Scientist/Lab Manager for Sanjay Antony Babu

    Focus: Bacterial and fungal interactions during plant disease

  • Yao, Guichun

    Guichun Yao

    Research Specialist III

    979-845-7610

    PLPM 331

  • Zhang, Huan

    Huan Zhang

    Associate Research Scientist