Dr.
Bob Pruitt’s research is presently focused on studying the nature of bacterial
interactions with plants, with a particular focus on human pathogens that
contaminate fresh produce. The goals of this research are to understand how
pathogenic bacteria are introduced into the plant system and what bacterial,
plant and environmental factors allow them to survive and proliferate.
Experiments utilize techniques ranging from traditional microbiology and
genetics to modern sequencing methods to examine the microbial communities associated
with commercial produce.