Research
Our research focuses on studying two groups of economically important plant-parasitic nematodes:
We work on interdisciplinary research by collaborating with extension scientists, mycologist, geneticist, bioinformatician, engineers to reach our goals.
1. Distribution and virulence phenotyping of SCN and RKN in Indiana. We aim to provide up-to-date and field-specific information for growers to make data-driven decisions on nematode management.

2. Biological control of nematodes. We aim to discover and develop beneficial microbes for effective and consistent control of SCN and RKN.
3. Nematode biology and virulence: Phenotypic plasticity plays a crucial role in nematode development and behavior. We aim to study the molecular mechanism and translate the knowledge into nematode control tactics using biotechnology (e.g., RNAi, gene-editing) or cultural practices.
4. Host resistance: We aim to identify and characterize novel sources of soybean resistance to virulent SCN.
5. Research methods: We aim to develop new methods or techniques to facilitate the research in plant nematology.