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Brian Staskawicz is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on elucidating the molecular basis of plant innate immunity from the perspective of pathogen-host interactions. His laboratory emphasizes the identification and characterization of bacterial effector proteins from Pseudomonas syringae and other Xanthomonas species. He studies the molecular events that control the delivery of effector proteins to host cells and their sites of action within the plant. A significant aspect of his work involves understanding the dual phenotype of bacterial effectors in relation to virulence and the ability to trigger effector-mediated immunity by recognized cognate NB-LRR plant innate immune receptors. Furthermore, Staskawicz aims to apply his basic discoveries in the field of molecular plant pathology to engineer durable resistance in agronomic crop species. He has made significant contributions to biotechnology and plant microbial biology, including the recent award of the prestigious Wolf Prize in Agriculture in recognition of his discoveries related to the immune system and disease resistance in plants.
The Mathematics Subject GRE is required for the Fall 2026 admissions cycle. General GRE is optional.