Dr. Samuel Martins
Assistant Professor
Contact:
Email: sj.martins@ufl.edu
Phone: (352) 273-4649
Lab Phone: (352) 273-4625
Office: 2413 Fifield Hall
2550 Hull Road
Gainesville, FL, 32611
About
A native of Brazil, I earned my B.S. in Agronomy from the Federal University of Lavras Brazil, as well as an M.S. and Ph.D. in plant pathology from the same institution, with part of his Ph.D. completed at the University of Delaware. From 2015 to 2017 I served as an Assistant Professor at the Federal University of Goiás Brazil and spent the next 3 years as a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State University.
I joined the UF Department of Plant Pathology in 2020 as an Assistant Professor, with responsibilities in teaching (50%) and research (50%). I teach the courses PLP2000: Plants, Plagues & People and PLP2311 What Are Plants Talking About? My research focuses on investigating the structure and function of bacteria in the phytobiome and their impact on plant health. I am particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying the microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions leading to increased resilience plants against biotic and abiotic stresses. More information can be found in Martins’ Lab Website.
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Education
2012-2016 Ph.D. in Plant Pathology. Federal University of Lavras, Brazil
2010-2012 M.S. in Plant Federal University of Lavras, Brazil
2006-2010 B.S. in Agronomy. Federal University of Lavras, Brazil
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Research
My research focuses on investigating the structure and function of bacteria in the phytobiome and their impact on plant health. I am particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying the microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions leading to increased resilience plants against biotic and abiotic stresses. More information can be found in Martins’ Lab Website.
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Awards
2025 - Excellence in Teaching Award, American Phytopathological Society (APS), USA
2024-2025 - CALS Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award, University of Florida, USA
2024 - Large Grant Leadership Award - IFAS Research, University of Florida, USA
2024 - NACTA Educator Award - North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, USA2023-2024 - UF CALS Early Career Excellence in Teaching Award - University of Florida, USA
2022 – Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, College of Agricultural and Life Science - University of Florida, USA
2018 - Laurence D. and Mary Ann Moore Faculty and Staff Award in Plant Pathology (Outstanding Postdoc). Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, Pennsylvania State University, USA
2017 - Best Ph.D. Dissertation Defended in 2016. Department of Plant Pathology, Federal University of Lavras, Brazil.
2012 - Alltech’s Young Scientist Award. Alltech Lexington, KY, USA.
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Publications
You can view a list of Dr. Martin's publications on Google Scholar and ResearchGate.
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Service
2024-present - Associate Editor for Plant Disease Journal
2023-present - Department of Plant Pathology Curriculum Committee
2023-present - Plant Science Steering Committee
2023-present - Graduate Student Committee
2022-2023 - Chair of the UF Department of Plant Pathology Social Media Committee