About
Jacobo Robledo Buritica is a plant pathologist with a passion for understanding and combating plant diseases. With roots in Colombia, Jacobo's journey into plant pathology began at a young age when he scouted for plant diseases with his late father in their ornamental plant nursery. Driven by his ultimate goal to develop strategies for disease management through disease forecasting or risk assessment systems, Jacobo has had a remarkable academic journey that has taken him from Colombia to the United States.
-
Education
Jacobo earned his Bachelor's Degree in Agricultural Engineering, specializing in Plant Health, from the University of Caldas in Manizales, Colombia. His undergraduate coursework included subjects such as Plant Epidemiology, Vegetal Protection, and Etiology and Disease Management. He then pursued a Master's Degree in Plant Pathology at the University of Florida, working under the guidance of Dr. Amit Levy at the Citrus Research and Education Center. During his master's program, Jacobo took a variety of courses, including Citrus Pathology, Plant Disease Diagnosis, Epidemiology & Data Science, and Applied Bioinformatics. He is currently undertaking a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology at the University of Florida, guided by Dr. Karen Garrett, based in Gainesville.
-
Research
Jacobo has an extensive background in research, beginning his journey as an intern at the Plant Diagnostic Clinic at the University of Caldas. There, he specialized in the identification, isolation, and characterization of post-harvest pathogens. He then joined the Caribia Research Center of AGROSAVIA, where he contributed to various research projects. His focus was on diseases like anthracnose in mango, Fusarium wilt in bananas, and Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB).
Moving on to the University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center as a Graduate Research Assistant, Jacobo centered his research on understanding the mechanisms of tolerance to Huanglongbing (HLB) in citrus plants. His approach was comprehensive, employing physiological, anatomical, and molecular methodologies.
Currently, Jacobo is part of a multidisciplinary team that aims to understand plant disease epidemiology. Utilizing models and network analysis, the team is identifying effective management practices, surveillance strategies, and policies to ensure food security. - Publications
-
Other Information
Beyond academics, Jacobo is an engaged member of his academic community. He served as the Treasurer of the UF/IFAS Graduate Student and Postdoc Organization and was the co-founder and first president of the CREC Educational Engagement in Plant Science Organization (CEEPS). His dedication has been recognized through various awards, including first place for an oral presentation at the Annual Meeting of the APS Caribbean Division. Notably, for his Ph.D., Jacobo received the CALS Dean Award, the most prestigious accolade offered by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) for incoming graduate students.