معرفی
Matthew Bakker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Science. He leads the Bakker Lab - Agricultural Microbial Ecology Research Group, focusing on microbial ecology and species interactions affecting agricultural sustainability. At the University of Manitoba, he teaches Microbes In Our Environment, Introductory Biogeochemistry, and contributes to graduate courses in Evolution of Fungal Pathogens.
- PhD in Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota
- Postdoctoral research, Colorado State University
- Staff scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture
His research spans multiple interconnected areas of agricultural microbiology:
- Ecological understanding of Fusarium graminearum pathogenesis
- Soil microbiome responses to agricultural practices
- Microbial detoxification of mycotoxins
- Malting process microbiology
- Microbial greenhouse gas fluxes in soil
- Biocontrol agent development
The lab's recent publications focus on advanced diagnostics (MALDI-TOF spectrometry), pathogen-phytochemical interactions, microbiome engineering, and climate change impacts on microbial communities. Research is supported through the BENEFIT Project (Genome Canada) and collaboration with the Canadian Collection of Agricultural Soil Microbes (CCASM).
Students working under his supervision include:
- PhD candidates: M. Shimosh Kurera, Rebecca Pagès
- MSc students: Brian Harrison, Kelsey Wog, Hariniha Selvarajan
- Co-op students: Varisha Rehman, Robin Nelson
- Undergraduate researchers: Avery Hoeppner, Sara Mills
- International collaborators: Dr. Hina Shanakhat, Dr. Briana Whitaker
The lab actively engages in:
- Soil microbial community analysis
- Endophyte-pathogen interaction studies
- Mycotoxin bioremediation research
- Plant microbiome engineering
- Agricultural sustainability initiatives
- Training through the EvoFunPath program
