Abolfazl Masoudi
Visiting Research Scholar - Keyhani lab
Contact
Building & Room:
MBRB 4318
Email:
About
My passion for agriculture led me to pursue a bachelor's degree in agronomy and plant breeding, which I received from Isfahan University of Technology in Iran. My master's thesis research focused on the natural distribution of the Beauveria lineages in citrus orchards in both the north (Caspian Sea) and south (Persian Gulf) regions of Iran. During my PhD studies in China at Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University, I conducted research on the diversity and distribution of entomopathogenic fungi in forest regions. Immediately after completing my PhD, I joined the Ecology Department of the College of Life Sciences at Hebei Normal University as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. I entered the field of microbial ecology when I joined Prof. Liu's lab, where I established the utility of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) in studying entomopathogenic fungi. Importantly, I also utilized HTS and metagenomics to evaluate the soil microbial biota in urban areas. Later on, I explored how human disturbances can influence the dissemination of antibiotic-resistance genes and heavy metals in urban areas using a metagenomics approach.
In Professor Keyhani’s lab, we are focused on answering a couple of key questions. First, we aim to address how insects develop their sensory systems to detect and evade insect-fungal pathogens in their vicinity. Understanding this is crucial for devising strategies to overcome insect defenses against entomopathogenic fungi, thereby enhancing integrative pest management, which has direct implications for environmental and food safety. Our second question delves into the impact of human activities, particularly the use of fungicides in disturbed environments, on the development of susceptibility in entomopathogenic fungi to toxins.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=eyReE9EAAAAJ&hl=en
Affiliations
- Research scholar in Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA (November 16- present)
- Research scholar in Microbiology and Cell science, University of Florida, USA (August 2023- October 2023)
- Associate professor in microbial ecology (college of life sciences)– Hebei Normal University, China (July 2021- October 2023)
Education
- Postdoctoral research associate in fungal ecology- Hebei Normal University, China (July 2018- July 2021)
- PhD in entomology (Invertebrate pathology), Northwest A&F University, China (September 2014- June 2018)
- Master of science in agricultural biotechnology (fungal entomopathogens), Shahrood University of Technology, Iran (September 2010- June 2013)
- Bachelor of science in agronomy and plant breeding, Isfahan University of Technology, Iran (2004-2010)