Alumni

Graduate students

Shuya Wang

MS student

Thesis title: Genetic and Molecular Analysis of Receptor-Like Kinase Genes Involved in Maize Disease Resistance

Alexander Mullens

PhD student

Thesis title: Characterizing the maize Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum pathosystem: tissue-specific lifestyles and natural variation in tissue-specific resistance

Publications from UIUC:

  1. Mullens A., Hind S., and Jamann T., “A Malectin‐Like Receptor Kinase and Bacterial Motility Shape Tissue‐Specific Maize–Xanthomonas vasicola Interactions.” Molecular Plant Pathology 27.6 (2026): e70295. https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.70295
  2. Mullens A., Zhong T., Lipka A., Balint-Kurti P., & Jamann T. (2026). Vascular Pathogenicity of Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum in Maize Is Modulated by Tissue-Specific Host Resistance. Phytopathology, (ja). https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-05-25-0164-R
  3. Mullens A., Sorensen P., Cooper J., & Jamann T. (2026). Inoculation of Maize Leaves with the Bacterial Foliar Pathogen Clavibacter nebraskensis. Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.prot108642
  4.  Pokhrel R., Mullens A., Sorensen P., Mideros S., & Jamann T. (2025). High-Throughput Fluorescence Microscopy Using Aniline Blue Staining to Study the Maize –Exserohilum turcicum Pathosystem. Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.prot108643
  5.  Zhong T., Mullens A., Morales L., Swarts K. L., Stafstrom W. C., He Y., Sermons S. M., Yang Q., Lopez-Zuniga L. O., Rucker E., Thomason W. E., Nelson R. J., Jamann T., Balint-Kurti P. J., & Holland J. B. (2025). A maize near‐isogenic line population designed for gene discovery and characterization of allelic effects. The Plant Journal, 122(5), e70228. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70228
  6.  Hudson A., Mullens A., Hind S., Jamann T., & Balint‐Kurti P. (2024). Natural variation in the pattern‐triggered immunity response in plants: Investigations, implications and applications. Molecular Plant Pathology, 25(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.13445
  7. Mullens A., Lipka A. E., Balint-Kurti P., & Jamann T. (2023). Exploring the Relationship Between Pattern-Triggered Immunity and Quantitative Resistance to Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum in Maize. Phytopathology®, 113(11), 2127–2133. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-09-22-0357-SA
  8. Mullens A, Jamann T. (2021). Colonization and movement of GFP-labeled Clavibacter nebraskensis in maize. Plant Disease. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-08-20-1823-RE

Sarah Lipps

PhD student

Thesis title: Resistance to Gibberella ear rot in maize: Potential mechanisms and breeding strategies

Publications from UIUC:

  1. Lipps S., Butoto E., Bohn M. O., Butts-Wilmsmeyer C., Mideros S., Holland J. B., & Jamann T. (2026). Environmental Drivers of Maize Ear Rots and Mycotoxin Accumulation Across North America. Plant Disease, (ja). https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-12-25-2476-RE
  2. Lipps S., Kebede A. Z., Bohn M., & Jamann T. (2025). Resistance to Gibberella ear rot in maize: Insights from near‐isogenic line populations. Crop Science, 65(6), e70187. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.70187
  3. Lipps S., Hill Z., Hasty C., Butts‐Wilmsmeyer C., Bohn M., & Jamann T. (2025). Insights into the genetic and biochemical basis of Gibberella ear rot resistance in maize. The Plant Genome, 18(3), e70099. https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.70099
  4. Lipps S., Sorensen P., Krone M., Mideros S., & Jamann T. (2025). Inoculation of Maize Ears with Fusarium graminearum to Study Gibberella Ear Rot. Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.prot108641
  5. Lipps S., Bohn M., Rutkoski J., Butts-Wilmsmeyer C., Mideros S., & Jamann T. (2025). Comparative Review of Fusarium graminearum Infection in Maize and Wheat: Similarities in Resistance Mechanisms and Future Directions. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions®, 38(2), 142–159. https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-08-24-0083-FI
  6. Lipps S., Lipka A. E., Mideros S., & Jamann T. (2023). Inhibition of ethylene involved in resistance to E. turcicum in an exotic-derived double haploid maize population. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1272951
  7. Lipps S., Smith D., Telenko D., Paul P., Kleczewski N., and Jamann T. (2022). Identification of resistance for Phyllachora maydis of maize in exotic-derived germplasm. Crop Sci. 62:859-866. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20709
  8. Lipps S., Rooney W. L., Mideros S. X., & Jamann T. (2022). Identification of quantitative trait loci for sorghum leaf blight resistance. Crop Science, 62(4), 1550–1558. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20751

Catherine (Yuting) Qiu

MS student

Thesis title: Identification of multiple disease resistance in maize

Publications from UIUC:

  1. Qiu Y, Kaiser C, Schmidt C, Robertson A, Jamann T. 2020. Identification of quantitative trait loci associated with bacterial leaf streak of maize. Crop Science. 60: 226-237.
  2. Qiu Y, Cooper J, Kaiser C, Wisser R, Mideros S, Jamann T. 2020. Identification of loci that confer resistance to bacterial and fungal diseases of maize. G3. 10:2819-2828.
  3. Qiu Y., Adhikari P., Balint-Kurti P., & Jamann T. 2024. Identification of loci conferring resistance to 4 foliar diseases of maize. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkad275

Julian Cooper

MS Student

Thesis title: Host resistance to Goss’s wilt of maize

Publications from UIUC:

  1. Cooper J, Balint-Kurti P, Jamann, T. 2018. Identification of quantitative trait loci for Goss’s wilt of maize. Crop Science. 57. 1192-1200.
  2. Cooper J, Rice B, Shenstone E, Lipka A, Jamann T. 2019. Genome-wide analysis and prediction of resistance to Goss’s wilt in maize. Plant Genome.
  3. Qiu Y, Cooper J, Kaiser C, Wisser R, Mideros S, Jamann T. 2020. Identification of loci that confer resistance to bacterial and fungal diseases of maize. G3. 10:2819-2828.
Jamann Group
Email: tjamann@illinois.edu