Dr. Luis earned a B.S. degree in Agriculture, major in Plant Pathology, from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Plant Pathology from the University of Georgia and North Carolina State University. Her experience includes both basic and applied research in roles as Research Technician at Virginia Tech, Postdoctoral Scholar at The Ohio State University, and Postdoctoral Research Associate at Purdue University. She joined the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH Mānoa) as an Assistant Specialist in July 2024. Her current work integrates research and extension efforts to characterize fungal pathogens and develop sustainable strategies for managing fungal diseases impacting tropical crops. 

Email: luisjm@hawaii.edu, CTAHR Faculty Profile  

Olatubosun earned a B.S. in Biology from the National Open University of Nigeria and previously worked as a Research Technician at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria. At IITA, he worked on germplasm health, plant pathogen detection, and integrated pest management, providing him a strong background in field and laboratory diagnostics. He completed his M.S. in Tropical Plant Pathology at UH Mānoa and is continuing his research as a Ph.D. student. His research focuses on screening koa (Acacia koa) families for resistance to koa wilt and characterizing its causal pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. koae. He is passionate about food security, improving plant health, biosecurity, disease surveillance, and innovative approaches to plant protection.

Email: oojo@hawaii.edu

Saimon is a plant pathologist from Quezon Province, Philippines. He graduated with a B.S. in Agriculture, major in Plant Pathology, from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He began his professional career as a Seed Analyst in the Seed Health Unit at the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Plant Industry, National Seed Quality Control Services. In this role, he assessed seed health and quality by detecting and identifying seedborne fungal pathogens. He completed his M.S. in Tropical Plant Pathology at UH Mānoa, where he surveyed different tomato fungal pathogens and evaluated products for disease management. He is now pursuing his Ph.D. on the use of endophytic entomopathogenic fungi to manage macadamia felted coccid.

Email: sescali@hawaii.edu

Sarita is a passionate plant pathologist dedicated to harnessing science and technology to advance agriculture. She earned her B.S. in Agriculture from the Agriculture and Forestry University in Nepal, and previously worked as a Research Assistant at the National Plant Pathology Research Centre, Nepal Agricultural Research Council. She has worked on fungal and viral plant diseases and on screening beneficial microorganisms for biological control of soilborne pathogens. Her research interests include plant immunity, plant-microbe interactions, plant disease diagnostics, host resistance, biological control, and sustainable disease management. Currently, she is a Graduate Research Assistant at UH Mānoa, where she characterizes turmeric rhizome staining and screens turmeric accessions for disease resistance.

Email: skapali@hawaii.edu