About
Hello, my name is Alexander Fast, and I am a Plant Pathology Ph.D. student in Prof. Erica Goss’s lab.
My research interests primarily revolve around plant-microbe interactions. Specifically, I am interested in how host specificity evolves, especially from broad host-range pathogens such as Phytophthora. I am interested in utilizing mutli-omics analyses and molecular biology methods to answer these questions. I’m also interested in leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to streamline workflows and increase the computational power for successful analyses of large and complex datasets.
Previously, I was a Plant Pathology M.S. student in Prof. Nian Wang’s laboratory at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred, Florida. There, I completed research on the biological control potential of endophytes isolated from citrus tissue for control of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, Diaporthe citri and Phytophthora nicotianae affecting citrus. Prior to this, I completed my B.S. in Environmental Management in Agricultural and Natural Resources at the University of Florida.
When I’m not in the lab or studying, I enjoy listening to music, repairing clocks/watches, hiking and playing sports like badminton, tennis and soccer.
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Education
University of Florida (Class of 2020) - Bachelor of Science: Interdisciplinary Studies Concentration Environmental Management in Agriculture and Natural Resources
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Research
During my undergraduate degree, I was a continuous member of Prof. Todd Osborne's Wetland Soil Biogeochemistry Laboratory at UF's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience. There, I was mentored by several Ph.D students and learned many soil biogeochemical laboratory analysis methods. For my Master's thesis, I will be working with the endophytic citrus microbiome in order to find bacterial antagonists to Citrus Canker Disease.