معرفی
Kathie Therese Hodge is an Associate Professor at Cornell University's School of Integrative Plant Science, specializing in fungal systematics and plant/insect pathogens. She leads the Cornell Plant Pathology Herbarium (CUP), a globally significant biodiversity repository with 300,000+ specimens. Her research focuses on fungal biodiversity, mycotoxin production in food systems, and evolutionary relationships among fungi. She also serves as Associate Director of Teaching for the School.
Education: Ph.D. (1998), M.S. (1993) from Cornell University; B.Sc. (1990) from University of Toronto. Teaching includes courses like 'Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds' and field-based 'Mushrooms of Field and Forest,' reaching over 300 undergraduates annually.
Research Interests:
- Fungal classification and evolution
- Pathogens impacting global food systems
- Biohybrid robotics using fungal networks
- Public outreach on mycology
Notable Achievements:
- 2024 Donald C. Burgett Distinguished Advisor Award
- Recipient of NSF-funded herbarium digitization projects
- Pioneered Paecilomyces niveus research linking fungal spoilage to patulin contamination
Outreach: Leads New York State 'Peck' mushroom foray, maintains the Cornell Mushroom Blog and @cornellfungi Instagram, and advises on mushroom poisoning emergencies.
