Gitta Coaker

Dr. Gitta Coaker is a Professor and Fiddyment Endowed Chair at the University of California, Davis, serving as the Graduate Program Chair. Her research focuses on plant-microbe interactions, particularly bacterial pathogens and their effector proteins. She investigates immune signaling mechanisms in plants, including kinase-mediated responses and vascular pathogens like Liberibacter and Clavibacter. Her work spans molecular biology, genetics, and proteomics.

Key research areas include understanding pathogen effector targets in model and crop plants, such as tomato, potato, and citrus. Dr. Coaker’s lab explores vector-borne diseases and the evolution of plant immune receptors. Notable projects involve dissecting resistance gene clusters using long-read genome sequencing and engineering receptors to enhance flagellin perception.

Her research integrates spatial and single-cell technologies to study plant responses to pathogens. She has authored over 100 publications and leads grants on topics like Liberibacter tolerance mechanisms and tandem kinase functions. Dr. Coaker’s work aims to develop durable disease resistance strategies for crops, combining foundational science with translational applications.