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Lovett, Brian

Post-Doctoral Researcher

I am a post-doctoral researcher in the Kasson Laboratory at the Division of Plant and Soil Sciences at West Virginia University. In this position, I am developing chestnut blight biotechnology and investigation of the pathology and evolution of entomophthoralean (‘insect destroying’) fungi. My PhD is from the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland in the St. Leger Laboratory. I obtained a Microbiology BSc from Michigan State University. My PhD studies applied transcriptomic and genomic approaches to agricultural and vector biology systems to further understand the biological role of Metarhizium species. I have also assisted in the design and implementation of semi-field trials conducted in a purpose-built MosquitoSphere in Soumousso, Burkina Faso. These studies aim to advance the development of transgenic strains for mosquito control in sub-Saharan Africa and to produce new approaches for manipulating the impact of these versatile fungi on plant roots.