Dr. John Dobbs — Major Advisor 2017 – 2019 (M.S.), 2019 – 2023 (Ph.D.), Agricultural Biology, CSU, M.S., Ph.D.
Currently Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Crouch’s Lab, USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
John has forest pathology experience spanning classical breeding for disease resistance, systems biology, bioinformatics, primer design and testing, field diagnostics, tree pathogen inoculations, and vegetative propagation. In his master’s and Ph.D. research in plant pathology at Colorado State University, he studied Fusarium spp. diversity and pathogenomics among tropical and temperate hardwood (e.g., Acacia koa) and softwood (e.g., Pinus spp. and Picea spp.) tree species.
His master’s thesis, “Whole Genome Analysis of the Koa Wilt Pathogen (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. koae) and Development of Molecular Tools for Early Detection and Monitoring,” focused on genomic characterization and diagnostic tool development for this pathogen. His Ph.D. dissertation, “Community Structure and Pathogenomics of Pinaceae-Infecting Fusarium spp.,” examined Fusarium communities affecting pine family trees.