Wenbo Ma

Wenbo Ma is Professor and Group Leader at The Sainsbury Laboratory with honorary appointment in UEA's School of Biological Sciences. Research focuses on molecular mechanisms of plant-pathogen interactions, particularly effector-triggered immunity and disease resistance engineering.

Core research areas include:

• Effector biology in Phytophthora and bacterial pathogens
• Plant immune receptor networks
• Single-cell analysis of host responses
• Trans-kingdom RNA trafficking

Recent work leverages pangenomic approaches to identify conserved virulence mechanisms and develops genetic strategies for broad-spectrum disease resistance. Publications demonstrate expertise in molecular plant pathology and innovative disease control strategies.