Kvitko Lab, Spring 2021
Principal Investigator
Brian Kvitko, Associate Professor
bkvitko@uga.edu
(706) 542-1282
Brian received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Cornell University in 2009 where he studied the complex genetic-basis of Pseudomonas syringae-plant interactions in the lab of Alan Collmer. He conducted postdoctoral research in the lab of Herbert Schweizer at Colorado State University on acquisition of host-derived iron sources and development of new genetic tools for select-agent human pathogens and Postdoctoral research in the lab of Sheng-Yang He at Michigan State University on the effects of PTI on bacterial virulence and the role of the microbiome on plant immune development. He started in the Department of Plant Pathology in the summer of 2015. His appointment consists of 75% research and 25% teaching.
- Courses taught
- PATH 8400 Host Pathogen Interactions
- PATH 8290/8290L Phytobacteriology
Lab Manager
Amy Smith, Research Professional
amysmith@uga.edu (706) 542-3993
Amy started in the Department of Plant Pathology in the Fall of 2015. She has provided vital work in the organization and design of our extensive lab. Her extensive knowledge in microscopy and qRT PCR have been a big help in developing the lab’s research foundation
Post-Docs
Gi Yoon (Gina) Shin, Postdoctoral Associate
Gina joined the lab in Fall 2020. Gina received her PhD in Microbiology at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She is conducting pathogenomics and genetics analysis of Pantoea species to characterize genes associated with onion virulence.
Graduate Students
Jovana Mijatović, Ph.D. Student
Jovana started at the department in Fall 2017. She received he Bachelor’s in Plant Protection at Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade in Serbia in 2017. Her research currently focuses on an old and reemerging pathogen of cotton- Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum, causing Bacterial blight of cotton. More specifically, her research will focus on tracking seed and seedling infection, molecular detection, and enhancing resistance in cotton with translational research.
Hsiao-Chun (Johnny) Chen, Ph.D. Student
Johnny started at the department in Fall 2020. He received the Master’s degree in Plant Pathology at National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan in April 2020. His research currently focuses on dissecting the regulation of the bacterial responses under PAMP trigger immunity, using Arabidopsis/Pseudomonas syringae pathosystem.
Sujan Paudel, Ph.D. Student
Sujan joined the lab in Fall 2020. He received an M.S. in Tropical Plant Pathology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is currently working on identifying the genetic determinants of virulence in the onion pathogen Burkholderia gladioli pv. allicola.
Hsiao-Hsuan Jan, Ph.D. Student
Hsiao-Hsuan started in the Department of Plant Pathology in Spring 2021. He received his Master’s degree in Plant Pathology and Microbiology at National Taiwan University in Taiwan in August 2016, where he previously studied virus induced gene silencing in plants. His current research focus on the functional analysis of the thiosulfinate tolerance genes in onion-associated bacteria, mainly using Pantoea ananatis as a system.
Philip Adepoju, M.S. Student
Philip started at the department in Summer 2022. He received his Bachelor’s of Agriculture (Crop production and protection) at Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria in 2017. His research focus is on development and characterization of homozygous cotton lines with EFR and xa5-like disease resistance traits against Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum and characterizing the role of asymptotic infection in the spread of cotton bacterial blight .
Previous Lab Members
Postdocs
Haibi Wang 
Graduate Students
Shaun Stice 
Amelia Lovelace 
Donald Gillis 
Zach Mateen 
Spencer Stumpf 
Visiting Scholars
Stefanie De Armas 
Kathe Rivera-Zuluaga
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Brianna Stone 
Zia Williamson 
Nathan Batra 
Katie Briner 
Sam Lee 
Pelumi Daomi 
Samantha Ayoub 
Linda Nwosu 
Sydney Wagner 
Maddie Grove 
Elizabeth Umanah 
Research Interns
Henry Vencill 
Jenna Mathwig 
Rae Morris 
Kasandra Velarde 
Nate Weinmeister 
Sandra Prickett 
Anaya Arnold 
