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.
NOTES FROM THE HOST
Hello {{first_name | Robigalia readers}},
Thank you all for your positive feedback on the Robigalia interview series!
Next Friday, I will be releasing my interview with Thaís Boufleur, a Professor at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, who has an impressive journey in plant pathology.
I had the pleasure of meeting Thaís during her time in Australia several years ago, and she has shown an incredible commitment to and dedication to her career, which now includes her teaching and supervisory commitments.
I personally drew a lot of inspiration from this conversation with Thaís, so I’m incredibly excited to bring this one to you soon.
While you’re waiting for this to drop, you can read the summary of my conversation with Darryl Herron from BSI in New Zealand, or watch the full interview on YouTube.
Now, onto this week’s edition:
I share updates on insect vector behaviour
I introduce a PhD student from Cornell University
I list one new postdoc role, and plenty of open roles on the jobs board
Let’s dive in!
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Progress on insect vectors
Dineesha N Balagalla et al., Elevated Temperature Can Reduce Cucumber Mosaic Virus Transmission in Tobacco Plants by Altering the Insect Vector’s Performance
Miquel Llompart et al., Spread of Xylella fastidiosa in Majorca Island Agroecosystems: Interaction Between Insect Vectors, Woody Hosts and Bacterial Subspecies
Lingna Shangguan et al., Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Promotes Offspring and Egg Production of Its Vector, Frankliniella occidentalis, by Suppressing Plant Defences Induced by a Thrips Salivary Elicitor
RESEARCH STUDENT OF THE WEEK
Meet Kaitlin Diggins
This week, I’m excited to introduce Kaitlin Diggins (she/her), an Indigenous (Yankton Sioux) and queer plant pathologist at Cornell University working on an interdisciplinary, multi-state, multi-year research project that incorporates plant pathology, entomology, and social science.
Kaitlin fell into plant pathology by accident. As the eldest of seven children and brought up on a small hobby farm in Southwest Iowa, her passion for the environment and nature was sparked. This passion led her to complete a BS in Environmental Science at Iowa State University, during which she spent her summers in various labs at the Horticultural Research Station (ISUHRS).
Following her bachelor's degree, she applied for a position with Dr. Mark Gleason, a previous collaborator on the initial version of the grant for her current project. Dr. Gleason introduced her to Dr. Sarah Pethybridge while she was presenting on social perceptions of new agricultural technologies to small-scale farmers, the Cornell University collaborator on the grant. She applied to work with Dr. Pethybridge as an Msc student after COVID caused some delays in the process and has never looked back! Kaitlin has since advanced to a PhD candidate, aiming to integrate rural sociology, accessibility, and community into plant pathology.
During her PhD with her team at Cornell, she studies how modified row covers can reduce insect-vectored diseases, change the microclimate and growing conditions, and influence the occurrence and severity of non-vectored diseases. She also assesses sustainable weed management practices under these row covers to identify the most cost-effective and resource-efficient methods for small-scale organic and sustainable farmers.
Kaitlin collaborates with underrepresented farmers in upstate NY who serve their local communities and economies to optimise yield from their specialty crops despite numerous biotic and abiotic challenges.
Be sure to connect with Kaitlin to keep up to date with her amazing research 👇
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 PhD/Master’s Scholarships
Nothing new here today, lots of opportunities in the scholarships board 👇
New Jobs
Postdoc Unravelling the Role of the Plant Microbiota in Hydathodes for Disease Resistance, University of Amsterdam, Closes November 30, 2025
New Events/Seminars
No new listing this week, check out the events board for upcoming events 👇
MEME OF THE WEEK
THAT’S A WRAP
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See you next Monday
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P.S. Why Robigalia? The name originates from the Ancient Roman festival dedicated to crop protection. You can read all about the history here: