Milica Raco

Milica Raco is a Postdoctoral Scholar at Oregon State University's Department of Botany and Plant Pathology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Her research focuses on plant pathogen virology, particularly the interactions between RNA viruses and Phytophthora species, a group of economically significant oomycete plant pathogens.

Research Interests: Milica investigates the virology and evolutionary dynamics of Phytophthora pathogens, utilizing high-throughput sequencing to characterize novel viruses. Her work spans plant pathology, virology, and bioinformatics, with specific attention to Phytophthora systematics, bunyavirus effects on pathogenicity, and marine oomycete virology.

Publication Trends: Her recent articles (2020–2025) emphasize RNA virus discovery (e.g., alphaendornaviruses, bunyavirus analogs), phylogeographic analysis of Phytophthora pathogens, and taxonomic debates around biological coherence. Key themes include viral ecology, molecular plant-microbe interactions, and genomic evolution of plant pathogens.

Affiliations: She works under PI Jared LeBoldus in the Botany and Plant Pathology department, with collaborations extending to viral ecology studies in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.