Current research projects

As principal or co-principal investigator:

Systematics and genomics of plant pathogens (in collaboration with and funded by USDA-ARS, 2023-2026)
Diversity of mycoviruses in fungal endophytes and their cryptic roles in plant health (funded by U.S. National Science Foundation, 2023-2026)
Polyphasic taxonomy of endophytic Hypocreales (Ascomycota).
Fungal communities that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of two sloth species in Costa Rica (Choloepus hoffmani and Bradypus variegatus)
Fungi for the bioremoval/ bioremediation of PCBs and PFAS.
Revealing the phyllosphere microbiome in coffee plants (Coffea arabica) and their interaction with the coffee rust (Hemileia vastatrix).
Characterization of the mycobiota associated to the biodeterioration of historical documents in Costa Rica.
U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute. Genus-wide genomics of the biomass-degrading and plant-beneficial Trichoderma.

As collaborator:

Coffee fungi below and aboveground: agroecological experiments for teaching and learning about fungal diversity and ecosystem function. Lead PI: L. Aldrich-Wolfe (North Dakota State University).
Spillover of coffee diseases into forest ecosystems and consequences for forest plant communities. Lead PI: L. Aldrich-Wolfe (North Dakota State University).

Past research projects

As principal or co-principal investigator:

Collaborative Research: Dimensions: Secondary metabolites as drivers of fungal endophyte community diversity.
Effects of endophytic fungi in health and resilience of coffee plants.
Reliable and customized biocontrol for Fusarium wilt of tomato.
Systemic analysis of death of strawberry plants [Fragaria ananassa (Weston) Roziersp.] in the main Costa Rica production areas and preliminary determination of the pathogenicity of the associated fungi.
Endophytic fungi in seagrasses in the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Costa Rica.
Systematics of endophytic fungi associated to wild Rubiaceae plants in natural forests.
Effects of thermal changes on endophytic fungi from plants in tropical alpine (paramo) ecosystems.
Biodiversity of endophytic fungi in fruits affecting the plant metabolome.
Fruit-eating bats and endophytic fungi: an unexplored indirect mutualism.
Digitization TCN: Collaborative: The Macrofungi Collection Consortium: Unlocking a Biodiversity Resource for Understanding Biotic Interactions, Nutrient Cycling and Human Affairs.
Systematics of fungi associated to wild rubber (Hevea spp.) trees in the Amazon basin: Searching for specialized biocontrol agents against economically important plant pathogens.
Monographic studies of the plant- and insect-associated genera: Nectria, Neonectria, and Cosmospora (Nectriaceae, Hypocreales).
Biodiversity of fungal endophytes in rubber trees: Towards understanding their role as plant protection agents.
Effects of forest disturbance and regeneration on hypocrealean fungal diversity.