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The broad host range plant pathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a major threat to agricultural production throughout the world. It infects more than 600 species of plant and can persist in the soil for several years. One of the most economically important hosts of S. sclerotiorum is the popular oilseed crop canola (Brassica napus). As a major producer of canola, the Australian grains industry has an interest in developing improved methods for managing S. sclerotiorum.

Mark is a research fellow at the Centre for Crop and Disease Management, which is funded through a bilateral agreement between Australia’s foremost grains research funding body, the Grains Research and Development Corporation, and Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. His research is specifically focussed on the genomics of global populations of S. sclerotiorum, and feeds into a larger project portfolio comprising both applied and fundamental research. He is particularly interested in how the environment affects the genomic landscape.