Brad Day

Brad Day is a Professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University, where he has served since 2006 and was promoted to full Professor in 2017. He previously held the position of Associate Chair for Research within his department and maintains an active laboratory focused on plant-pathogen interactions.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Tennessee (1999)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship at Japan's National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (2000-2002)
• NIH-funded Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Berkeley under Brian Staskawicz (2002-2006)

Dr. Day's research program pioneers the molecular mechanisms of plant immunity, with groundbreaking work establishing the actin cytoskeleton as a critical signaling platform in immune responses. His laboratory uniquely bridges fundamental discoveries in model systems like Arabidopsis and rice with applied agricultural research in cucumber, while recently developing DNA-nanosensor technology for rapid pathogen detection. This integrative approach has significantly advanced understanding of immune activation pathways including the Guard Hypothesis.

His major recognitions include:

• Co-sponsored NSF (U.S.) and Science and Technology Agency (Japan) Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Prestigious NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellowship

As principal investigator of the Day Lab, he directs research funded by major federal agencies including the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, mentoring graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in plant pathology and molecular signaling. His work consistently translates basic discoveries into agricultural applications, particularly through pathogen detection technologies and immune response characterization in crop plants.

The Day Lab maintains strong international collaborations and operates state-of-the-art facilities for molecular plant pathology research, with current projects expanding into nanosensor development for field-deployable pathogen diagnostics.