Prof Jason Stajich
Evolution of Zoosporic Fungi: Insights into Their Origins, Host Associations, and Cell Biology
Prof Jason Stajich is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology at the University of California, Riverside, and a member of the Institute for Integrative Genome Biology. His research focuses on fungal genomics, evolution, and biodiversity using computational and genomic tools with particular interest in the early evolutionary transitions in fungi and studies these with the zygomycete and zoosporic fungi. His work provides important evolutionary perspectives for understanding fungal adaptation, ecology, and genome evolution.
Dr Jolanda van Munster
Carbohydrate availability governs intricate degradative and metabolic responses in anaerobic fungi
Dr Jolanda van Munster is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and reader at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) in Edinburgh. Her research focuses on understanding how fungi degrade plant cell walls, working at the interface of fungal biology, enzymology, and carbohydrate analysis. At SRUC, she leads a team investigating the functional role of anaerobic fungi within the rumen microbiome, with the goal of improving our understanding of fibre degradation and supporting more sustainable livestock production and biotechnology.
Dr Graeme Attwood
The ruminant microbiome and methane mitigation
Dr. Graeme Attwood is a Visiting Scientist at AgResearch and Chief project advisor to the NZ AgEmissions Centre, New Zealand, with extensive expertise in rumen microbiology and its role in animal nutrition, productivity, and greenhouse gas emissions. His research has contributed substantially to understanding the rumen microbiome and its importance in sustainable livestock production. Although recently retired, he continues to support research and student mentoring at the newly-formed AgResearch-Bioeconomy Science Institute and acts in an advisory capacity on methane mitigation research projects.