As a 2024 Schmidt Science Fellow, Erin’s work will focus on discovering plant innate immune receptors that impart multi-pathogen resistance in crops.
Plant immunity has been studied for over 30 years, uncovering critical insights into innate immune receptors that confer resistance to pathogenic bacteria, fungi, or viruses that cause severe disease in crops.
Erin’s research will combine advancements in bioinformatics and genome engineering tools to discover new innate immune receptors in plants that are conserved across domains of life.
The results will serve as the basis to bioengineer multi-pathogen resistant crops for sustainable agriculture production and climate change mitigation.
Interdisciplinary Pivot: Biological Sciences to Earth Sciences