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Mailing Address

Danielle Stevens, Coaker Lab

580 Hutchison Hall

University of California, Davis

95616 Davis, CA

Email Address

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A non-traditional start.

I was introduced to plant pathology working for Dr. Jeff Chang in the Botany and Plant Pathology Department at Oregon State. Admittedly, the introduction was by accident. During my undergraduate, I worked toward a degree in Biochemistry and Biophysics thinking I would work in the medical field.

During this time, I was mentored by many amazing graduate students and postdocs as I worked toward characterizing virulence genes in the Gram-positive actinobacterial pathogen, Rhodococcus fascians. There, I slowly fell in love with bacterial pathogens, particularly Gram-positive plant-associated actinobacteria.

Celebrating Undergraduate Excellence Symposium in 2018.

Eventually, I decided to do work abroad and with a little help, I was offered the opportunity to work at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology for Dr. Eva Stukenbrock in Ploen, Germany. At the time, I had only been outside the U.S. once as a kid. While three months is not long, it was one of the most influential experiences of my life.

The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology.

I feel very blessed to have met so great people along the way who are both my mentors, colleagues, and dear friends. I knew that despite my initial reluctance, I was on the right path. After graduate school interviews, I ended up at UC Davis to join the Coaker lab with the goal of working on bacteria of the Clavibacter genus, another Gram-positive actinobacterial pathogen. However, during the heart of my Ph.D., a tragic COVID-19 pandemic occurred, where I had to temporally switch gears and work on other research. During this time, I became interested in the evolution and interactions of bacterial epitopes and their cognant receptors. However, this sparked interest led to my Postdoc position and new advisor, Dr. Ksenia Krasileva.

Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 2019 International Conference in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

I plan to run my own lab and mentor students one day, inspiring them to tackle major questions regarding Gram-positive bacterial pathogens and plant innate immunity.

Fun Facts

• I am from Oregon, USA and went to Oregon State for my undergraduate degree.
• I love going to national parks. Some of my favorite I have been to during Grad School are Arches, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Yosemite National Parks. I also found traveling through the Dolomites, Italy absolutely amazing.
• Most of the photos on this website are from travels that I had gone on over the last few years.
• I learned to snowboard during my Ph.D. and love to spend time on the Tahoe slopes from January through May!
• I enjoy creating digital artwork related to my work and other science.

Delicate arch in Utah, USA.