Current Faculty

Professor, Biology
Research Interests: Ecology and evolution of insect-plant interactions
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

B.S., Brown University, 1993
Ph.D., University of California at Davis, 2000
Postdoctoral, University of Arizona, 2000-2001

Dr. Madelaine Bartlett
Associate Professor, Biology
Research Interests: Evolution of plant development; Molecular evolution
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology, Evolution and Ecology
Education:

B.S., University of the Witwatersrand, 2004
Ph.D., University of California Berkeley, 2010

Postdoctoral
Brigham Young University, 2010 - 2013

Professor, Biology
Research Interests: Regulation of Plant Morphogenesis During Growth & Development
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology
Education:

B.Sc., Yale, 1980
Ph.D., Stanford University, 1986

Postdoctoral

University of California, Berkeley 1987-1990
Australian National University, 1990-1992

Professor, Biology
Research Interests: Evolutionary genomics of adaptation and divergence in wild, weedy and crop plant species
Research Area(s): Evolution and Ecology, Genomics and Genetics
Education:

B.Sc., Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia, 1996
Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis, 2003

Postdoctoral

North Carolina State University, 2003-2006

Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Molecular and cell biology of male-female interaction and polarized cell growth in plant reproduction
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology
Education:

PhD: Yale University
Postdoctoral training: Harvard University

Professor Dan Cooley
Professor of Plant Pathology, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Research Interests: Epidemiology, ecology and sustainable management of plant diseases
Research Area(s): Evolution and Ecology, Plant Environment Interactions
Not accepting new students
Education:

AB, Harvard College  1974.
M.S., Plant & Soil Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 1978.
Ph.D., Plant Pathology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 1986.

Michelle DaCosta
Associate Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Research Interests: Plant responses to environmental stresses, with emphasis on drought and temperature stresses of grasses.
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

Ph.D. in Plant Biology (2006), Rutgers University
B.S. in Biology (2000), Rutgers University

Professor, Microbiology
Research Interests: Community ecology and physiology of soil microbes, climate change, plant-soil interactions
Research Area(s): Genomics and Genetics, Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

Ph.D., Microbiology, University of California Berkeley, 2006

photo of Michelle Facette
Assistant Professor, Biology
Research Interests: Cell polarization and asymmetric cell division; cytoskeletal regulation; cellular physiology
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology, Genomics and Genetics, Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

2008 Stanford University, Stanford, USA
Ph.D. Department of Biological Sciences

1998 Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Honours Bachelor’s of Science, Department of Biology

Professor Lillian Fritz-Laylin
Assistant Professor, Biology
Research Interests: Field of Study: Evolution and functional specification of cytoskeletal networks
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology, Evolution and Ecology
Education:

B.S., University of California Berkeley, 2003
Ph.D., University of California Berkeley, 2010
Postdoctoral University of California San Francisco, 2010-2017

Professor Barry Goodell
Professor, Microbiology
Research Interests: Biomedical Research: Fungal Pathogenesis; Environmental Microbiology: Bioconversion Research; Environmental Microbiology: Symbiosis between gill-inhabiting bacteria and marine mollusks
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Not accepting new students
Education:

Ph.D – 1983: Wood Science (Wood Science and Engineering), Oregon State University. Minors: Biochemistry/Biophysics; Plant Pathology
M.S – 1980: Wood Science (Wood Science and Engineering), Oregon State University. 
B.S – 1976: University of New Hampshire. 

Dr. Masoud Hashemi
Extension Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Research Interests: Integrated sustainable farming management practices with an emphasis on cover cropping and remediation of non-point source pollution.
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Not accepting new students
Education:

Ph.D.  Plant and Soil Sciences/Crop Physiology, 1990, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Gilgut Professor of Plant Biology
Research Interests: Regulatory Networks and Natural Variation in Plant Cell Wall Biosynthesis and Growth
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology, Genomics and Genetics
Education:

B.S., University of Arizona, 1994
M.S., Michigan State University, 1996
Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2000

Postdoctoral

DOE Plant Research Laboratory, East Lansing, 2000-2002
The Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, 2003-2008

Dr. Rachel Hestrin
Assistant Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Research Interests: Plant-microbe interactions, biogeochemistry, ecosystem response to change, sustainable agriculture
Research Area(s): Evolution and Ecology, Genomics and Genetics, Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

B.A., University of California-Berkeley, 2006
M.S./Ph.D., Cornell University, 2018
DOE SCGSR Fellow and Research Affiliate, Joint Genome Institute, 2017-2020
Postdoctoral Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2018-2021

Professor of Biological Sciences, Mt. Holyoke College
Research Interests: Spread dynamics, impacts, and lag times in invasion ecology, as well as metacommunity dynamics, particularly for plants and herbivores.
Research Area(s): Evolution and Ecology, Plant Environment Interactions
Not accepting new students
Education:

BA in Physics and English, Phi Beta Kappa. Williams College, Williamstown, MA, 1987
Ph.D., Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis 1999

Postdoctoral Training

University of California, Berkeley, CA 1999-2004

Dr. Jeeyon Jeong
Assistant Professor, Biology, Amherst College
Research Interests: Molecular and cellular biology of metals
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology, Genomics and Genetics
Education:

Ph. D., Dartmouth College (2008)
M. S., Pohang University of Science and Technology (2002)
B. E., Yonsei University (2000)

Professional Training and Experience

Assistant Scientist, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2014-2015)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Teaching Fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2013)
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2009-2014)

Associate Professor, Cranberry Experiment Station
Research Interests:
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

Ph.D. (Crop and Soil Sciences), Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 1998
M.S. (Crop and Soil Sciences), Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 1995
B.S. Honors Agriculture (Crop Science), University of Zimbabwe, Mt. Pleasant, Harare, 1990

Dr. Geunhwa Jung
Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Research Interests: Molecular genetics and breeding of disease resistance in grasses and population genetics of plant pathogenic fungi 
Research Area(s): Genomics and Genetics, Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

1995  Ph.D., Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1992  M.S., Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1988  B.S., Horticulture, Chungnam National University

Professor of Biological Sciences, Smith College
Research Interests: Genome evolution and biodiversity studies of microbial eukaryotes
Research Area(s): Evolution and Ecology, Genomics and Genetics
Education:

Ph.D, Cornell University

Ashley D. Keiser
Assistant Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Research Interests:   Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology; Climate Change Biology; Soil Ecology; Biogeochemistry
Research Area(s): Evolution and Ecology, Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

Ph.D., Yale University, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
M.Phil., Yale University
B.S. University of New Hampshire 

Dr. Li-Jun Ma
Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Fungal comparative genomics, eukaryotic genome evolution and organism adaptation
Research Area(s): Genomics and Genetics, Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

PhD: State University of New York, the College of
Environmental Sciences and Forestry
Postdoc: Harvard University

photo of Sibongile Mafu
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Biological chemistry of plant natural products
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

PhD: Iowa State University
Postdoctoral Training: University of California, Davis

Professor of Biology, Amherst College
Research Interests: Ecology and evolution of plant reproductive systems, molecular phylogenetic systematics, population and evolutionary genetics, hybridization and speciation
Research Area(s): Evolution and Ecology, Genomics and Genetics
Education:

Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona (2000)
M.Sc., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona (1997)
B.A., Biology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado (1992)

Professor Giverson Mupambi
Extension Assistant Professor, Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment
Research Interests:   Abiotic Stress Ecophysiology  
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

Postdoctoral, Washington State University, 2016-2019
Ph.D., University of Stellenbosch. 2017
M.Sc., University of Stellenbosch, 2010
B.Sc., University of Fort Hare, 2007

Dr. Jennifer Normanly
Professor and Head, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Plant Natural Products
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology
Not accepting PhD students
Education:

PhD: California Institute of Technology
Postdoctoral training: The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Om Parkash
Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Research Interests: Plant genetic engineering and biotechnology, phytoremediation of soil contaminants
Research Area(s): Genomics and Genetics, Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

Ph. D.,  Plant Molecular Biology (1998), Durham University, United Kingdom
M. Phil.,  Biochemistry and Genetics (1998), Kurukshetra University (India)
M. Sc.,  Botany (1987), Kurukshetra University (India)
B. Sc.,  Medical (1985), Maharishi Dayanand University (India)

Professor Elsa Petit
Lecturer, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Research Interests:
Research Area(s): Evolution and Ecology, Genomics and Genetics, Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

Ph.D. Plant pathology, University of California, Davis, 2005
M.S. Agronomy, Bordeaux, France, 2000

Professor Hilary Sandler
Director, UMass Cranberry Station; Extension Associate Professor
Research Interests: Agriculture, Fruit Integrated Pest Management
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

Ph.D. Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2004.
M.S. Plant Science, University of Delaware, 1983.
B.A. Biology/Environmental Studies, University of Pennsylvania, 1981

Extension Assistant Professor, Biology
Research Interests: Plant ecology, plant diversity, invasive plants, climate change
Research Area(s): Evolution and Ecology
Not accepting PhD students
Education:

B.A., Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 1993
Ph.D., Ecology and Evolution, Harvard University, 2003

Associate Professor, Environmental Conservation
Research Interests: Plant Ecology, Invasive Plants, Biological Responses to Global Change
Research Area(s): Evolution and Ecology
Education:
Dr. Ludmila Tyler
Senior Lecturer, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Using the model grass Brachypodium distachyon to understand development and bioenergy traits. 
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology, Genomics and Genetics
Not accepting PhD students
Education:

PhD: Duke University
Postdoctoral Training: USDA and University of California Berkeley

Extension Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Integrated Cranberry Disease Management; Epidemiology and Disease forecasting; Host-Pathogen-Environment interactions;  Fungicide Resistance; Microbiome
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

Ph.D., Auburn University, Auburn, AL., 2011
MS, Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala, India, 2007
BS, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Andhra Pradesh, India, 2005

Dr. Elsbeth Walker
Professor, Biology
Research Interests: Molecular genetic approaches to studying mechanisms of metal ion homeostasis in plants
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology, Genomics and Genetics
Education:

A.B., Mount Holyoke College, 1984
Ph.D., Rockefeller University, 1989

Postdoctoral
1990-1993 Yale University

Dr. Dong Wang
Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Mechanisms of symbiosis between plant hosts and beneficial microbes
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

PhD: Duke University
Postdoctoral training: Stanford University

Dr. Baoshan Xing
Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Research Interests: Environmental behavior of emerging contaminants and their interactions with plants
Research Area(s): Plant Environment Interactions
Education:

Ph.D. in Environmental & Soil Chemistry, University of Alberta, Canada, 1994
M.S. in Soil Chemistry & Mineralogy, University of Alberta, Canada, 1990
B.S. in Agronomy, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, China, 1984

Emeritus Faculty

Peter Hepler
Emeritus Professor, Biology
Research Interests: The role of calcium, membranes and the cytoskeleton in cell division and development
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology
Not accepting new students
Education:

B.A., University of New Hampshire, 1958
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1964

Postdoctoral

1964-1966, Walter Reed Army Research Institute
1966, University of Wisconsin
1966-1967, Harvard University
1981 Australian National University

Dr. Elizabeth Vierling
Distinguished Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Research Interests: Molecular chaperone function in the cytosol and organelles, plant stress response
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology, Plant Environment Interactions
Not accepting PhD students
Education:

PhD: University of Chicago
Postdoctoral training: University of Georgia, Athens

Dr. Larry Winship
Professor Emeritus of Botany, School of Natural Science, Hampshire College
Research Interests: Regulation of cell wall expansion during oscillatory growth in lily pollen tubes
Research Area(s): Cell and Developmental Biology, Plant Environment Interactions
Not accepting new students
Education:

B.S. Yale University
PhD Stanford University