Welcome to another edition of the Robigalia Roundup!

If you’re new here, Robigalia is your weekly roundup of the latest research, researchers, scholarships, and opportunities in plant pathology globally. Make sure you’re a subscriber to have these opportunities and events delivered directly to your inbox every Monday.

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NOTES FROM THE HOST

Hello {{first_name | Robigalia readers}},

Welcome back to Robiglia for 2026!

Over the holiday period, I spent most of my time brainstorming content for the Robigalia newsletter and have some big announcements planned for the next couple of months.

I also began developing a range of digital products to support early-career plant pathologists.

Students and ECRs on the mailing list received an email last week announcing the launch of the Robigalia CV guide.

Every week, I receive multiple CVs from readers for review. To help those of you looking to improve your CV, I created the Plant Pathology CV Guide, a step-by-step resource that shows you exactly what to include, what to cut, and how to present your experience effectively.

The guide includes:

  • Step-by-step guidance for each CV section

  • Video presentations explaining what matters to selection panels

  • Practical frameworks for deciding what stays and what goes

  • Tailored specifically for early-career scientists

The presale is limited to 50 sales and includes:

  • Over 50% discount

  • A free CV template

  • 14-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied with the product

Buy the Guide

The presale closes on the 16th January and will be sent to your inbox on 19th January. After this, it will only be available at the full price.

Now, onto this week’s edition:

  • I highlight several articles on branch dieback in walnut

  • I introduce a recent PhD graduate from the Universidad de Talca, Chile

  • I highlight three new scholarships and three new jobs

Let’s dive in!

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Progress on branch dieback in walnut

  • Shehzad Iqbal et al., Vulnerability of Walnut Pruning Wounds to Fungal Trunk Pathogens and Seasonal Conidial Dynamics of Botryosphaeriaceae in the Maule Region, Chile

  • Marie Belair et al., Etiology and Epidemiology of Branch Dieback and Fruit Blight and Necrosis of English Walnut in France

  • Lili Zhao et al., Diaporthe species (Sordariomycetes, Diaporthales) causing walnut blight and dieback in China

PLANT PATHOLOGIST OF THE WEEK

Meet Shehzad Iqbal

As Robigalia Roundup welcomes readers to its first edition of 2026, we celebrate the journey of Shehzad Iqbal, a recent PhD graduate whose path from Pakistan to Chile reflects the increasingly international nature of plant pathology research.

Shehzad’s story begins in Multan, Pakistan, where he first developed his passion for plant pathology during undergraduate studies at Bahauddin Zakariya University. During his seventh semester, he watched senior classmates secure fully funded international scholarships to study in China. Seeing people from the same classrooms earn opportunities abroad showed him what was possible, and motivated him to pursue his own path in research.

That path first took him to Wuhan, China, where he completed his master's degree at Huazhong Agricultural University. The experience of studying in a new country and academic culture prepared him for what would come next. A prestigious scholarship brought Shehzad to Chile, a country he now considers his second home, where he recently completed his PhD at Universidad de Talca.

Shehzad's doctoral research centred on understanding the etiology and epidemiology of branch dieback in Chilean walnut orchards—a significant concern for the country's agricultural sector. His work specifically examined Botryosphaeriaceae and Diaporthaceae fungi, investigating how these pathogens spread and impact walnut production across central Chile. By integrating field sampling with molecular diagnostics and epidemiological analysis, his research contributed valuable insights into managing these economically important diseases.

Throughout his doctoral journey, Shehzad actively shared his findings with the broader scientific community. He presented a poster at the International Mycological Congress (IMC12) in the Netherlands, and delivered presentations at national conferences in Valparaíso and Puerto Varas. He also participated in a conference in Uruguay, expanding his professional network along the way.

Among his proudest achievements, Shehzad counts his multiple first-author publications—both research articles and reviews—that have contributed to the scientific understanding of walnut diseases in Chile.

Shehzad is open to connecting, and you can find him on LinkedIn, ResearchGate, and Instagram.

OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS

New plant pathology opportunities are listed below. For the full list of live opportunities and events, head to my Opportunities and Events Board using the buttons below.

New Scholarships

VIEW ALL SCHOLARSHIPS

New Jobs

VIEW ALL OPEN JOBS

New Events/Seminars

VIEW ALL UPCOMING EVENTS

Have a job, scholarship or event to advertise? List a scholarship, job, or event in Robigalia. I help you advertise your opportunity or event to a global network of plant pathologists for free.

MEME OF THE WEEK

THAT’S A WRAP

Before you go: here are 3 ways we can help each other

  1. Take the hard work out of cold outreach — Get a copy of an easy to follow email template and guide to help secure your next position.

  2. Book a coaching call — Whether it’s career advice, assistance with an application, or general advice, you can check my schedule to book time with me

  3. Be featured in Robigalia — Every week, I introduce a plant pathologist in the Robigalia Roundups, and you can fill in your details to be featured.

See you next Monday!

P.S. Why Robigalia? The name originates from the Ancient Roman festival dedicated to crop protection. You can read all about the history here:

History of Robigalia

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