Chair: Xiomy Pinchi-Dávila
I’m a fourth-year PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Anny Chung in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Georgia. My project focuses on understanding the mechanisms driving sorghum root microbiome assembly under drought stress. Previous to my PhD, I received a Master’s degree from Western Illinois University, where I worked with Dr. Andrea Porras-Alfaro describing a new fungal species (paper coming soon!). I am also the founder of Hongos Peru, a juvenile Peruvian organization that aims to spread scientific information about fungi. I am passionate about plant-fungal interactions, especially in root systems (including endophytes, root-associated fungi, and mycorrhizae) and how these associations impact plant community structure and crops. During my PhD, I hope to better understand how the root microbiome assembles and how we can harness host-root microbiome interactions in sustainable agriculture. I have served as the Vice Chair last year, and I am really excited to continue serving MSA. My plan is to continue the legacy of our previous chair of organizing colloquiums/other activities in Spanish to recruit more underrepresented groups.
Vice Chair: Diana Vargas-Hernandez
Hi! My name is Diana Vargas-Hernandez. I’m a second-year Master’s student in the Environmental and Conservation Science Program. This program belongs to the Department of Biological Sciences at North Dakota State University. I’m an enthusiastic learner of the mycology world. I’m especially interested in plant-fungi interactions. Currently, I’m working on the identification of potential synergistic effects of fungal endophytes against the coffee pathogen Mycena citricolor. I’m a believer in the importance of science communication, which is the reason why last year I supported the MSA SPS board as communication chair. Getting involved in the executive board allowed me to connect with peers from different fields in Mycology, extending my networks like a mycelium. During 2024-2025, I would like to support MSA SPS as Vice-chair. I consider I have the experience in teamwork, as well as the energy and motivation to assume the role and do my best to improve the MSA SPS board and keep sharing my passion for fungi with others. Thanks for all the support!
Secretary: Christopher Bivins
My name is Christopher Bivins and I am currently a 4th-year Ph.D. candidate at University of California, Merced. I started studying mycology about 10 years ago as an undergraduate student at San Francisco State University, where I was tutored by Dr. Dennis Desjardin. After spending years playing music in a band and collecting fungi whenever I could, I decided to pursue mycology more seriously. I joined Dr. Alija Mujic’s lab as a master’s student at Fresno State University and began learning how to be a scientist. My research project focused on mycoheterotrophic plants in the great Sierra Nevada mountains, particularly focusing on the fungi that these plants depend on through an obligate symbiosis. After graduating, I then went off to UC Merced to pursue my Ph.D., and my current research uses eDNA metabarcoding to study various aspects of fungal ecology in the Sierra Nevada foothills. I have been attending MSA meetings since 2019 and have so so so much gratitude for MSA and the role it’s played in my career development as a mycologist. I hope to continue sharing my love for fungi with this amazing and wonderful society!
Treasurer: Nandin Ganjoloo
Hello! I am a graduate student from Mongolia researching brown rot fungi in Dr. Jiwei Zhang’s lab at the University of Minnesota. Besides working with fungi in the lab, I love looking for them in nature. The vast diversity in appearance and way of life among fungi influenced me to delve deeper and look at the molecular level. I see inspiration in their evolution and want to build genetic tools that help us understand and apply these unique mechanisms to biotechnological solutions. Through the MSA Student and Postdoc Section, I want to connect and contribute to a community of fellow mycology enthusiasts. With my experience in finance and passion for mycology, I am nominating myself for the treasurer position. During my undergraduate studies at Whitman College, I served on the student government as a finance committee member and as the Director of Student Organizations. I worked with almost a hundred student clubs and organizations to allocate the annual student government budget in addition to approving budget requests for various student-run projects and events. At UMN, I volunteer with the Council of Graduate Students to review grant proposals from fellow graduate students for research, conferences, and career development opportunities. Through my various experiences managing group finances, I have learned the importance of seeing beyond the numbers to make mindful and equitable decisions.
Merchandise Chair: Prasanth Prakash Prabhu
I am Prasanth Prakash Prabhu, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Biology, at Clark University. Before coming to Clark, I did my bachelor’s and master’s in Botany where I studied different aspects of Plant biology. Currently, I am studying the evolution of nematophagy in Pleurotaceae. Merchandise is one of the most effective platforms to engage creatively with the public. I am also part of the Clark University Graduate Student Worker Union’s (CUGW) multimedia team. I have also been involved in writing press releases and creating flyers and Instagram posts for CUGW. I am also very active in communicating science through art, and my logo “Diversity Matters” and “Decade O’ Mycota” won the art competition conducted by MSA-SPS. As an MSA merchandise chair, I would like to use this opportunity to use my creativity and passion to support the community, by creating new MSA SPS swag!
Communication and Social Media Chair: Quinn Moon
Hello fungal enthusiasts! My name is Quinn Moon and I am a second-year PhD candidate in Tim James’ Mycology Laboratory in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan. Previously, I worked in both Dr. Anthony Amend and Dr. Nhu Nguyen’s fungal ecology labs at the University of Hawai‘i. I am broadly interested in fungal biodiversity with particular interest in how such taxonomic diversity of fungi drives ecosystem functioning and nutrient cycling. My dissertation research is centered on Deep Earth inhabiting fungi and aims to determine the drivers of fungal community composition across subterranean terrestrial biospheres and link these patterns to long term microbial conversion of organic carbon deposits. As a fun side project, I am working to describe a novel lineage of fern parasites in the class Leotiomycetes.
Outside of research, I have a deep passion for increasing public awareness and appreciation of the fungal Kingdom through photographing mushrooms and teaching mycology -including leading outreach activities in local elementary schools. Fungi beautifully demonstrate the intricacy of the natural world by spanning many biological dimensions, including being both mutualistic mycorrhizae and deadly agents of mass amphibian die offs. I am fueled by increasing general appreciation of the natural world and hope to bring my passion to serve at the Communication Chair on the executive board of the Student and Postdoc Section of the Mycological Society of America. Thank you for your support and appreciation of fungi!
Webmaster: Isabelle (Bella) Stiver
Hello, MSA Students and Postdocs! My name is Bella Stiver and I am a second-year PhD student at Oregon State University studying the diversity, metabolic abilities, and interactions of foliar, fungal symbionts between a host’s native and introduced range. Through my dissertation work, I aim to understand both the mechanisms behind within-host symbiont interactions and how these interactions can impact disease transmission and evolution. While my specific research is related to disease ecology and fungal pathogens/symbionts of plants, I am broadly fascinated by fungal ecology and evolution. Prior to starting my PhD, I was a lab manager in the Mitchell Lab at the University of North Carolina where I studied fungal pathogens of tall fescue and maintained their lab website and twitter account. As an undergraduate, I studied ecology, evolution, and biodiversity at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor where I caught the “myco-bug” studying Beech Bark Disease in Northern Michigan as it was expanding its range in Northern Michigan. I’m thrilled to work with MSA SPS by keeping the website up to date and compiling the newsletters, so everyone can know about all the amazing events and people in the MSA SPS.
Postdoc Representative: Lindsey Becker
Hi folks! I’m currently a USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow in the Busby Lab at Oregon State University, where I study cereal microbiomes and their impact on plant health in the context of disease and drought stress. I earned my MSc and PhD at NC State University where I worked with Dr. Marc Cubeta on beneficial soilborne fungi and studied the wheat seed microbiome. During my PhD I served as the MSA SPS Communication Chair and enjoyed getting to know other graduate students and share their accomplishments with the MSA community via student spotlights and twitter. There have been some terrific efforts to involve postdocs in MSA over the past year and I aim to continue those efforts and expand postdoc inclusion in MSA with a special emphasis on improving peer-to-peer mentoring and professional development opportunities.