JP Dundore-Arias

Dr. JP Dundore-Arias is a plant pathologist with an interdisciplinary background and broad experience investigating the biology, ecology and management of plant-associated microbes. He received his B.Sc. in Agronomy from the University of Costa Rica, and completed M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Plant Pathology at Iowa State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, respectively. After completing graduate school, he received a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Science Foundation to conduct research related to agricultural microbiomes at the University of Minnesota. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at California State University Monterey Bay. His research interests focus on advancing our functional understanding of agricultural microbiomes, with the goal of developing practical applications for enhancing soil health and promoting biological suppression of plant pathogens and foodborne pathogens. Additionally, he is the coordinator of the NSF-funded Agricultural Microbiomes Research Coordination Network, and has led efforts to develop metadata standards and ontologies specific for the agricultural microbiomes research community. He is recognized for his personal commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM fields, and for his contributions to broadening participation of underrepresented minority scientists in plant and microbial sciences.