Carrie Fearer

Carrie Fearer is a faculty member at the University of Virginia Tech within the College of Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. She earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University (2017, 2019, 2022) with a focus on forest pathology and microbiome research.

• Educational Background:
  • B.S. (2017), Ohio State University
  • M.S. (2019), Ohio State University
  • Ph.D. (2022), Ohio State University

Her research intersects forest pathology, bioinformatics, and microbiome analysis, particularly for early disease detection in trees. Key areas include:

• Endophytes and the tree microbiome
• Host resistance mechanisms
• Machine learning integration for disease diagnostics
• Invasive pest adaptation dynamics

Recent publications (2019-2025) highlight her work on:

• Beech leaf disease diagnostics using NIR spectroscopy
• Verticillium nonalfalfae applications against Ailanthus altissima
• Bioinformatics tools for undiagnosed tree diseases
• Microbial profiling in forest epidemics

She contributes to teaching:

• FREC 4514 course on forest conservation