Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi Investigates How Pathogens Invade Plant Roots

The Purdue University researcher is one of the first to examine the molecular processes that underlie infection by soil microbes.

Written byShawna Williams

| 3 min read

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They may not make the cut for big-budget wildlife documentaries anytime soon, but plant-microbe battles don’t lack for drama, as plant biologist Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi learned in an undergraduate seminar at the University of California, Berkeley. “I loved the idea that the plants and the microbes interact with each other,” she explains. “It’s this race to see who can win, who can be resistant, and who can be virulent.”

Intrigued, Iyer-Pascuzzi went on to become a graduate student in a plant pathology lab at Cornell University. But she soon found herself more drawn to the work of Cornell rice geneticist Susan McCouch. Due in part to six months spent in India as an undergraduate, Iyer-Pascuzzi had learned to appreciate “the idea that you could make a ...

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Meet the Author

Shawna Williams
Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, and in the communications offices of several academic research institutions. As news director, Shawna assigned and edited news, opinion, and in-depth feature articles for the website on all aspects of the life sciences. She is based in central Washington State, and is a member of the Northwest Science Writers Association and the National Association of Science Writers.
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