About Noel Lab
Department: Entomology & Plant Pathology
The goal of the Noel Lab is to improve the livelihood of growers/farmers in Alabama, the US and the world by addressing biotic and abiotic diseases of crops through research, education and service.
The lab studies and teaches about the fungi, bacteria, and oomycetes associated with a crop plant to understand how complex dynamics in various plant organs/environments contribute to disease development and abiotic stress tolerance. We will focus on how agricultural management shapes fungal and oomycete diversity and interactions within the plant microbiome.
Research
Plant Microbial Community Ecology
Add water, and the seed comes to life – this starts an intimate relationship with the microbial community. Seeds imbibe water, releasing nutrient-rich seed exudates that fuel the initial interactions between soil and seed microbes. However, many of these interactions are still a mystery. The interactions around a seed, termed the spermosphere, are critical since the outcome can determine the survival of the crop within 12-24 hours. We aim to better understand this critical plant environment and how microbiomes form and function from when a seed is planted to when it emerges from the soil. Implications of this research can include a better understanding of how microbiomes form and function, better predictability of seedling emergence, and better efficacy of seed treatments.
Manipulation of microbial communities for implementing services that microbes play for crops is a grand scientific challenge. We aim to understand the effects of bacterial and fungal inoculants on the form and function of the microbiome. This research aim involves the development of tools for directly quantifying microbes, building and maintaining culture collections of plant-associated microbes, and developing new solutions for plant health.
Manipulation of microbial communities for implementing services that microbes play for crops is a grand scientific challenge. We aim to understand the effects of bacterial and fungal inoculants on the form and function of the microbiome. This research aim involves the development of tools for directly quantifying microbes, building and maintaining culture collections of plant-associated microbes, and developing new solutions for plant health.
Research opportunities
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Ph.D. or M.S. Students interested in joining the lab should contact Dr. Noel directly via email. We seek motivated graduate students interested in plant pathology research at all levels that want to do cutting edge research within the areas of fungal/microbial ecology and evolution, microbial interactions, and biocontrol.POSTDOCTURAL RESEARCHERS
The lab seeks postdoctoral researchers with experience in but not limited to microbial ecology, plant pathology, microbial evolution, microbe-microbe interactions, and genomics. Candidates should have strong computational skills, should demonstrate the ability to work independently, and should have an unwavering passion for science!If interested, please contact Dr. Noel directly via email with a C.V. and briefly describing your relevant experience and research interests.
Zachary Noel
Assistant Professor
Plant health issues growers face within agricultural ecosystems are complex and dynamic. The goal of my research program is to study how agricultural management influences fungal, oomycete, and bacterial diversity and interactions to develop new strategies to promote plant growth and prevent plant diseases. I am particularly interested in studying fungal and oomycete interactions with bacteria at the seed and seedling stage of plant development. I am also interested in understanding how agricultural management systems and inputs alter the complexity and resiliency within microbial communities.
Morgan Bragg
Postdoctoral Fellow
Morgan is a postdoctoral fellow working on characterizing the microbiome and functional gene content associated with cotton seedlings across the Southern US, its relationship to seed treatment efficacy, and environmental conditions.
Education & Research Experience:
Education & Research Experience:
- M.S. Animal Science, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
- M.S. Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University
- Ph.D. Environmental Science and Public Policy, George Mason University
Emily Roggenkamp
Postdoctoral Fellow
Emily is a postdoctoral fellow working on the functional gene content within
the soybean spermosphere across different microbial pools using shotgun
metagenomics.
Education & Research Experience:
Emily is a postdoctoral fellow working on the functional gene content within
the soybean spermosphere across different microbial pools using shotgun
metagenomics.
Education & Research Experience:
- B.S. Biochemistry Kansas State University
- Ph.D. Genetics & Genome Sciences and Molecular Plant Science
- Michigan State University
Bibek Dabargainya
M.S. Student
Bibek is an M.S. student working on developing qPCR assays specific to bacterial strains and tracking their populations in forage grass hosts. Bibek also studies the effect of bacterial inoculants on the form and function of the microbiome.
Education & Research Experience:
Bibek is an M.S. student working on developing qPCR assays specific to bacterial strains and tracking their populations in forage grass hosts. Bibek also studies the effect of bacterial inoculants on the form and function of the microbiome.
Education & Research Experience:
- B.S. Agriculture, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
- Intern at the National Plant Pathology Research Center and the National Entomology Research Center, Khumaltar, Nepal
Logan Luchs
Ph.D. Student
Logan is a Ph.D. student working on the assembly of the soybean seed’s spermosphere microbiome. He is also working on how disturbances such as soil steaming or seed oomicides affect this assembly of the spermosphere or treatment efficacy.
Education & Research Experience:
Logan is a Ph.D. student working on the assembly of the soybean seed’s spermosphere microbiome. He is also working on how disturbances such as soil steaming or seed oomicides affect this assembly of the spermosphere or treatment efficacy.
Education & Research Experience:
- B.S. Biology and Ecology, Saint Francis University
- Researched Self-Assembled Monolayer and its effect on cytochrome c electron transfer rate
Sachida Pokhrel
M.S. Student
Sachida “Sachi” is an M.S. student working on phyllosphere yeast genomics, their ecological function, adaptation, and interaction with fellow bacteria.
Education & Research Experience:
Sachida “Sachi” is an M.S. student working on phyllosphere yeast genomics, their ecological function, adaptation, and interaction with fellow bacteria.
Education & Research Experience:
- B.S. Agriculture, Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal
- Intern at the National Plant Pathology Research Center, Khumaltar, Nepal
Beatrice Severance
M.S. Student
Beatrice is a M.S. student studying the effects of fungicides on the pecan phyllosphere microbiome. She is also working on classifying a novel phyllosphere yeast isolated from a magnolia leaf, utilizing comparative genomics techniques.
Education & Research Experience:
Beatrice is a M.S. student studying the effects of fungicides on the pecan phyllosphere microbiome. She is also working on classifying a novel phyllosphere yeast isolated from a magnolia leaf, utilizing comparative genomics techniques.
Education & Research Experience:
- B.S. Cellular and Molecular Biology, Auburn University
- Utilized shotgun metagenomic techniques to study soils from Cullars Rotation, a soil fertility experiment that has been running for over 100 years
Past Graduate Students
- Oluwakemisola “Kemi” Olofintila: Kemi is a research associate at the Donald Danforth Center and a PhD student at Washington University of St. Louis.
- Laura Rodriguez: Laura is a PhD student at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
Past Undergraduate Students
- Frederich McGill
- Emma Wingfield
- Charis Harrison
- Sheridan Spivey
- Shauna Giroir
- Emily Munroe
- Dylan Warner
