Tiffany Lowe-Power

Tiffany Lowe-Power is an Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis, affiliated with the Department of Plant Pathology. Her research focuses on bacteriology, bacterial genetics, and plant-microbe interactions with particular emphasis on xylem pathogenesis and rhizosphere ecology. Her work explores how plant pathogens such as Ralstonia species colonize and thrive in plant vascular systems, including mechanisms of biofilm formation, chemotaxis, and virulence factor regulation.

Her research interests also encompass bacterial physiology and metabolism, particularly the role of exopolysaccharides like EPS-I in pathogen dissemination, and the degradation of plant defense compounds such as hydroxycinnamic acids. She has developed diagnostic tools for Ralstonia species differentiation and contributed to open-access standards in plant pathology research.

Key themes in her publications include genomic analyses of Ralstonia diversity, functional genomics of type VI secretion systems, and the ecological and evolutionary drivers of pathogen virulence. Her recent work addresses emerging bacterial wilt outbreaks in crops like ginger and the genetic basis of resistance in tomato, pepper, and eggplant cultivars.

Tiffany’s research integrates molecular biology, genomics, and biophysical approaches to understand microbial adaptation in plant environments. She advocates for reproducibility and transparency in scientific practices, as highlighted in her 2024 guidelines for open-access plant pathology research.

She leads the Lowe-Power Lab at UC Davis, whose research portal is available at https://lowepowerlab.github.io/.