About
Hello! My name is Ibukunoluwa Bankole. I’m a Ph.D. student advised by Dr. Jeff Jones and Dr. Erica Goss. I earned my BSc. in Botany from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. After that, I obtained my M.Sc. in Plant Pathology from North Dakota State University, where I worked extensively on the functional characterization of type III effectors of Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa (Xtu) causing bacterial leaf streak on wheat. I also worked on other applied projects that involve the investigation of crop rotation sequences that can effectively reduce the spores of Plasmodiophora brassicae, causing club root of canola. My passion for plant pathology has deepened over the years as a graduate research assistant, working with these challenging microbes and using the knowledge I have gained to answer important questions about plant diseases.
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Education
2018 - B.Sc. Botany, University of Lagos, Lagos Nigeria
2024- MSc. Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University -
Research
My research area revolves around Phytobacteriology with a focus on exploring disease resistance mechanisms that can be utilized to mitigate the bacterial spot of tomato and pepper caused by different Xanthomonas spp. Using bioinformatics and omics tools, I am exploring the comparative genomics of the bacterial spot pathogen to understand the evolution and diversity of the pathogen. I am also investigating the bacterial effector proteins that are important for pathogen fitness, virulence, and regulating host immunity. Bacteria spot of tomato and pepper are important diseases in Florida and worldwide, and there is an urgent need for developing sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions to the diseases. Knowledge of the genetics of host-pathogen interactions would be critical to identify potential targets useful for gene editing and breeding host resistance.
- Research