Jared LeBoldus

Jared LeBoldus is an Associate Professor of Forest Pathology at Oregon State University, jointly appointed in the College of Agriculture (Botany and Plant Pathology Department) and the College of Forestry (Forest Engineering, Resources and Management Department). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta and has been at OSU since 2015. His research focuses on forest pathology, host-parasite genomics, and biotic disturbance impacts, particularly studying pathogens like Sphaerulina musiva and Phytophthora ramorum.

Education: B.Sc. in Forest Science (University of British Columbia), M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Forest Biology and Management (University of Alberta).

Research interests include molecular mechanisms of plant immunity, tree-pathogen interactions, and genomic approaches to forest health. His work integrates computational and molecular tools, with recent studies on sudden oak death management, transgenic resistance in poplar, and pathogen population genomics. Recent articles emphasize citizen science in pathogen monitoring, thinning effects on root rot, and effector protein roles in disease progression.

Awards include the OSU Extension Association Search for Excellence Award (2019) and a teaching award for PLSC 385 (2010). He collaborates widely, leading grants on disease mitigation and genomic tools. His lab is affiliated with the Forest Pathology Lab at Oregon State, focusing on scaling host-pathogen interactions to landscape-level patterns. Key projects include the EU1 lineage of Phytophthora ramorum in Oregon forests and transgenic poplar resistance trials.