Dr. David A. Baltrus, PI
I'm an evolutionary microbiologist interested in understanding how interactions between microbes are established and why these interactions are  are maintained over time. My group and I approach such questions by blending comparative genomics and transcriptomics with traditional wet-lab microbial genetics. For more information: http://cals.arizona.edu/research/baltruslab/

Dr. A. Elizabeth Arnold (Betsy), Co-PI
I'm an evolutionary ecologist with diverse interests in plant-fungal symbioses. I focus primarily on fungal endophytes, which live within healthy plant tissues. My group uses the tools of microbiology, ecology, molecular biology, and phylogenetics in field- and laboratory settings in diverse biomes from South America to the Arctic. For more information: www.arnoldlab.net

Dr. Rachel E. Gallery, Co-PI
My group studies microbial ecology. Microbes define soil health, support ecosystem services, and maintain plant diversity. They are critical to ecosystem resiliency, especially in the context of climate change and the conservation challenges we face. Working across a range of ecosystems from lowland tropical forests to semi-arid grasslands, we use field-based experiments, microbiological techniques, and contemporary genetic tools to test the effects of plant-microbe interactions on plant and microbe community diversity, understand how environmental shifts will alter these interactions, and predict the subsequent impacts on ecosystem function. For more information: rachelgallery.arizona.edu

Dr. Kevin L. Hockett, Postdoc
I am a microbiologist by training, focusing on the genetics of plant-associated bacteria. My interest is understanding the effects of inter-organismal interactions on the ecology and evolution of plant-associated microbes. I use a combination of genomics, molecular genetics, phylogenetics, and culture-based approaches to address research questions. For more information:  http://www.kevinhockett.org/

Sarah Araldi-Brondolo, PhD Student
I'm pursuing my doctorate in Plant Pathology at the University of Arizona, where I focus on interactions between foliar endophytic fungi and their endohyphal bacteria. I am interested in the evolutionary benefits of such associations to each microorganism, as well as their contributions to the plants they inhabit.  Currently my research focuses on the phenotypic and genotypic effects of these associations.  

Kayla R. Arendt, Masters Student (Completed 2015)
Kayla joined our group with a background in genetics and plant biology. She completed her MS in Plant Pathology in January 2015. She was responsible for optimizing our experimental system and developed methods for moving bacteria among different fungal hosts. Her work provided new insights into the effects of endohyphal bacteria on the production of fungal cellulases and ligninases.

Margaret Wilch, Teacher, Tucson High Magnet School
Margaret is an award-winning teacher of biology, biotechnology, and research methods at an urban high school. She is collaborating with us to improve access to science education and to enhance curricula with real-time research experiences in microbiology, molecular biology, and field ecology. Our collaboration with Margaret supports outreach and engagement for over 150 students per year.

Other members of our groups who participate / have participated in our project-related research and outreach activities:

Baltrus lab: Brian Smith

Arnold lab: Dr. Nick Garber, Dr. Naupaka Zimmerman, Justin Shaffer, Yu-Ling Huang, Liz Bowman (NSF GRFP Fellow), Ashton Leo, Anyang Ndobegang, Jorge Ramos, Joe Myers, Sean Quigley, Ming-Min Lee, Thomas Gleason, Trevor Mock