Li-Jun Ma

Li-Jun Ma is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UMass Amherst. Her laboratory investigates genome plasticity in fungal pathogens using Fusarium oxysporum as a model system. Research combines comparative genomics, experimental evolution, and molecular genetics to elucidate mechanisms of host adaptation and pathogenicity chromosome evolution.

Key discoveries include horizontal transfer of pathogenicity chromosomes and regulatory network reconstruction. Current projects examine effector repertoire conservation, transcriptional factor evolution, and host-specific virulence mechanisms.

The Ma Lab develops undergraduate research modules for authentic genomics investigation through the CUR(E) initiative.