Carolyn M. Malmstrom

Dr. Carolyn M. Malmstrom is a Professor in the Department of Plant Biology at Michigan State University, where she leads the Malmstrom Lab. Her research focuses on plant-microbe interactions, particularly the ecology and epidemiology of plant viruses in both natural and agricultural systems.

• Key affiliations: College of Natural Science, DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center

Her work addresses critical questions about viruses in working landscapes—ecosystems balancing conservation with commodity production. She has pioneered studies on switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a bioenergy feedstock, revealing widespread Switchgrass mosaic virus (SwMV) infections and their ecological impacts. Her team's research demonstrates that SwMV can reduce switchgrass yield through premature senescence, challenging assumptions about benign wild virus-host relationships.

Dr. Malmstrom's virology-ecology integration spans continents, including collaborations with Dutch researchers on hop virology. Her lab employs high-throughput sequencing to characterize plant viromes, as seen in the 2020 Frontiers in Microbiology study. She has mentored students like Abbie Schrotenboer (switchgrass virology) and Scott Butterfield (agroecosystem restoration), who continue contributing to conservation science.

Current projects examine cross-continental virus dynamics in hop production (Humulus lupulus) and viral spillover at wildland-urban interfaces. Her publications bridge plant pathology, ecological theory, and biofuel sustainability, emphasizing the need for global pathogen surveillance in an era of climate change and land-use intensification.