Biography
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Mary Beth Mudgett, PhD Principal Investigator, Professor of Biology Research Area: My group studies the biochemical basis of plant-microbe interactions
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Mary Beth received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Ithaca College and her doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of California in Los Angeles in Steven G. Clarke’s laboratory. She performed postdoctoral research with Brian Staskawicz at the University of California in Berkeley before becoming a faculty member in the Department of Biology at Stanford University in 2002. Her group studies diseases of important vegetable crop plants, focusing on the biochemical mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens subvert plant innate immunity and alter plant physiology to promote disease. The long-term goal of her research is to development new approaches to prevent and eliminate plant disease in the field.
In addition to training and mentoring graduate students and postdocs, Mary Beth is passionate about teaching. She works closely with students to build critical thinking skills, while stimulating new exploration relevant to current biological and social issues. She has launched several new initiatives to improve the student experience, by creating new biology courses, embracing diversity in the classroom, and integrating active learning pedagogy to enhance student learning.
Mary Beth also strives to increase diversity in the Bioscience Graduate Program. As chair of the Bioscience Diversity Advisory Committee (BDAC), Mary Beth works with faculty across campus to identify high potential scholars, and build innovative recruitment and retention programs to enhance student successes as various stages of the PhD program.
