Congratulations to UF Plant Pathology faculty members on their tenure and promotions!
Dr. Romina Gazis and Dr. Ozgur Batuman have been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor and awarded tenure.
Dr. Mathews Paret and Dr. Matthew Smith have been promoted to the rank of Professor.
Dr. Romina Gazis
Dr. Romina Gazis, who joined the faculty in 2017, is an associate professor of plant pathology and director of the Plant Diagnostic Clinic at the Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead.
Dr. Gazis has extensive experience in fungal biology, and an interest in tropical diseases caused by other pathogens. Dr. Gazis long-term research goal is to understand the biology behind different plant diseases (Fungi, Bacteria, Oomycetes, Viruses) affecting local industries and natural landscapes and use this knowledge to develop efficient and long-term disease management strategies.
Dr. Ozgur Batuman
Dr. Ozgur Batuman is an associate professor of plant pathology at the Southwest Florida Education and Research Center in Immokalee.
Dr. Batuman’s research focuses on better understanding of pathogens causing economically important diseases in citrus and the development of effective, long-lasting, and integrated pest management strategies for controlling citrus pathogens that currently threaten the industry in Florida.
Dr. Mathews Paret
Dr. Mathews Paret, a UF faculty member since 2010, is a professor of plant pathology at the North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy.
Dr. Paret’s primary research includes studies on the etiology and epidemiology of plant diseases of vegetables and ornamental crops, development of integrated pest management strategies for diseases of economic relevance, and detection and characterization of plant pathogens.
Dr. Matthew Smith
Dr. Matthew Smith is a professor of plant pathology and curator of the UF Fungal Herbarium and has been a member of the Plant Pathology faculty since 2011.
In addition to research and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Smith is responsible for identifying unknown fungi for a variety of Florida stakeholders, including the UF Plant Disease Clinic, UF-IFAS Extension Service, and the UF Veterinary School.
He is broadly interested in fungal ecology, evolution, and systematics. He has worked extensively on the biology and systematics of hypogeous fungi (“truffles”) and the ecology of plant-symbiotic ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi.
2
