Althea studied biochemistry and molecular biology at Stockton University (New Jersey). She started her PhD at North Carolina State University with Professor Baars in 2019 studying plant exudation. The exometabolome includes plant-derived carbon, microbial metabolites, and antimicrobial compounds and signals produced by plants or microbes. She will analyze constitutive wheat exudation (sustains core microbiome?), exudates induced by stresses (roles in coping with biotic/abiotic stress), and how plants respond to microbial exudation. To study these questions, she is using discovery metabolomics, demonstrating their importance in establishing robust rhizosphere communities and refining the use of metabolomics in complex media like soil.

Place of employment: North Caroline State University, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology