David Cook

Dr. David E. Cook is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director at Kansas State University's Department of Plant Pathology, where he leads research on fungal pathogen genomics and plant-microbe interactions. His work bridges molecular biology, genetics, and agricultural biotechnology to address global food security challenges.

• Education: Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from University of Wisconsin-Madison (2013), M.S. and B.S. in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences from Virginia Tech (2008, 2005)

Research Focus: The Cook Lab investigates fungal genome regulation during plant infection, mechanisms of fungal genome diversity, and innovative crop protection technologies. Key areas include:

• Transcriptional dynamics of fungal effectors in plant-pathogen interactions
• Epigenetic mechanisms driving fungal genome evolution
• Development of molecular tools (Cas13 RNA-silencing, GIGS) and machine learning applications for plant immunity and protein design

Scientific Contributions: Funded by USDA, NSF, and DARPA, Dr. Cook's lab advances understanding of fungal virulence and plant defense systems. Their work integrates functional genomics with synthetic biology approaches.

Awards & Fellowships:

• APS Graduate Student Fellowship
• EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship
• HFSP Postdoctoral Fellowship