Faculty and staff

Dr. Douglas J. Cattani

Professor and Department Head
Perennial grain breeding including grains and oilseeds; perennial grain agronomy

105 Plant Science Building
doug.cattani@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6071

Dr. Belay Ayele

Physiology, functional genomics and biotechnology of cereal crops with emphasis on plant hormones/plant growth regulators, seed biology (seed dormancy and pre-harvest sprouting), and abiotic stress tolerance.

111 Plant Science Building
belay.ayele@umanitoba.ca
204-474-8227
Ayele home page

Dr. Dilshan Benaragama

Weed biology and ecology, integrated weed management, cropping systems and weed adaptations, remote sensing applications in weed research.

317 Plant Science Building
Dilshan.Benaragama@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6940
 
Digital Weeds Lab

Dr. Harmeet Chawla

Canola genomics and genetics, Crop bioinformatics, Long-read genome assembly and annotation.

307 Plant Science Building
Harmeet.Chawla@umanitoba.ca
204-474-7192

Dr. Fouad Daayf

Molecular and biochemical mechanisms of plant-pathogen interactions; mechanisms of plant defence suppression by pathogens; mechanisms of plant disease biocontrol using plant extracts and beneficial microorganisms; detection and biology of soilborne and foliar pathogens

107 Plant Science Building
fouad.daayf@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6096
Daayf home page

Dr. Robert Duncan

Hybrid rapeseed/canola genetics, breeding and cultivar development

305 Plant Science Building
rob.duncan@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6076

Dr. Martin Entz

Organic agriculture – agronomy, long-term rotation studies, and wheat and oat cultivar development

309 Plant Science Building
m.entz@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6077
Natural Systems Agriculture

Dr. W.G. Dilantha Fernando

Canola and wheat pathology

205 Plant Science Building
dilantha.fernando@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6072
Fernando home page

Dr. Brian Fristensky

Gene expression in plants during resistant or susceptible interactions with pathogens, bioinformatics

330 Agriculture Building
brian.fristensky@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6085
Fristensky home page

Dr. Robert Gulden

Weed and crop ecology and management, herbicide resistance, crop modelling, biostatistics

115 Plant Science Building
rob.gulden@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6080
Weed Ecology and Management Lab

Dr. Yvonne Lawley

Agronomy, soybean and corn agronomy; cropping systems research; cover crops

109 Plant Science Building
yvonne.lawley@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6504

Dr. Curt McCartney

Wheat breeding and genetics; genetic mapping and DNA marker development; genetics of resistance to plant pathogens and insects; fusarium head blight; rust diseases; orange wheat blossom midge

247A Agriculture Building
curt.mccartney@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6062

Dr. Claudio Stasolla

Physiology and molecular biology of embryo development; in-vitro lignification of loblolly pine cells

225 Plant Science Building
claudio.stasolla@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6098
Stasolla home page

Amanda Smorhay
Office Assistant
230 Agriculture Building
amanda.smorhay@umanitoba.ca
204-474-8224

Mariana Garcia Romero
Office Assistant
222 Agriculture Building
Mariana.GarciaRomero@umanitoba.ca
204-474-8225

Allison Paulusma
Administrative Assistant (Financial and Administration)
223 Agriculture Building
allison.paulusma@umanitoba.ca
204-474-8226

Alina Skorobohatova  (on leave)
Office Assistant
222 Agriculture Building
Alina.Skorobohatova@umanitoba.ca
204-474-8221

Ekta Badesha
Graduate Program Advisor
226 Agriculture Building
Ekta.Badesha@umanitoba.ca
204-474-8223

Bev Godard
Assistant to the Department Head
227 Agriculture Building
bev.godard@umanitoba.ca
204-474-8563

Ruth Ratnam
Office Assistant
222 Agriculture Building
Ruth.Ratnam@umanitoba.ca
(204) 474-8221

Eppie Austria
The Point
eppie.austria@umanitoba.ca

Cathy Bay
Plant Science Greenhouse
cathy.bay@umanitoba.ca

Sheldon Beitcher
Ian N. Morrison Research Farm
Sheldon.Beichter@umanitoba.ca

Kelsey Dickson
106 Plant Science Building
kelsey.dickson@umanitoba.ca

Becky Dueck
116 Plant Science Building
dueckrm@cc.umanitoba.ca

Brodie Erb
The Point
brodie.erb@umanitoba.ca

Mike Erb
The Point
mike.erb@umanitoba.ca

Mel Kaufman
The Point
Melvin.Kaufman@umanitoba.ca

Ralph Kowatsch
334 Agriculture Building
ralph.kowatsch@umanitoba.ca

Mary Meleshko
The Point
mary.meleshko@umanitoba.ca

Anh Pham
The CTC 
 Anh.Pham@umanitoba.ca

Kaitlyn Pidherny
247 Agriculture Building
kaitlyn.pidherny@umanitoba.ca

Pawanpuneet Kaur Rehal
017 Plant Science Building
pawanpuneet.rehal@umanitoba.ca

John Rosset
327 Plant Science Building
Jonathan.Rosset@umanitoba.ca

Ardelle Slama
112 Plant Science Building
ardelle.slama@umantioba.ca

Parneet Toora
Plant Science Greenhouse
parneet.toora@umanitoba.ca

Debbie Witko
106 Plant Science Building
debbie.witko@umanitoba.ca

Zesong Ye
247 Agriculture Building
zesong.ye@umanitoba.ca

Justice Zhanda
Ian N. Morrison Research Farm, Carman, Manitoba
justice.zhanda@umanitoba.ca

Noah Van Den Driessche
203 Agriculture Building
noah.vandendriessche@umanitoba.ca

Will Giesbrecht
The Point
william.giesbrecht@umanitoba.ca

Dustin Goderis
The Point
dustin.goderis@umanitoba.ca

Samadhi Jayarathna
313 Agriculture Building
kaitlyn.pidherny@umanitoba.ca

Candace Ellis
Plant Science Greenhouse
Candace.Ellis@umanitoba.ca

Xueping Liu
247 Agriculture Building
xueping.liu@umanitoba.ca

Devendra Rathore
devendra.rathore@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Ana Badea
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Brandon, Manitoba
ana.badea@agr.gc.ca

Dr. Andriy Bilichak
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Morden, Manitoba
andrii.Bilichak@agr.gc.ca

Dr. Maria Antonia Henriquez
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Morden, Manitoba
mariaantonia.henriquez@agr.gc.ca

Dr. Colin Hiebert
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Morden, Manitoba
colin.hiebert@agr.gc.ca

Dr. Gavin Humphreys
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
gavin.humphreys@agr.gc.ca

Dr. Santosh Kumar
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Brandon, Manitoba
santosh.kumar@agr.gc.ca

Dr. Brent McCallum
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Morden, Manitoba
brent.mccallum@agri.gc.ca

Dr. Kirby Nilsen
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Brandon, Manitoba
kirby.nilsen@canada.ca

Dr. Lily Tamburic-Ilincic
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario
ltamburi@uoguelph.ca

Dr. Sally Vail
Saskatoon Research and Development Centre
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 
Sally.vail@Agr.gc.ca

Dr. Sean Walkowiak
Canada Grain Commission
Winnipeg, Manitoba
sean.walkowiak@grainscanada.gc.ca

Dr. Xiben Wang
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Morden, Manitoba
xiben.wang@canada.ca

Dr. Jochum Wiersma
Northwest Research and Outreach Centre
Crookston, Minnesota
wiers002@umn.edu

Dr. Champa Wijekoon
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Winnipeg, Manitoba
champa.wijekoon@AGR.GC.CA

Dr. Navneet Brar
Research Associate - (Dr. Yvonne Lawley)
117 Plant Science Building
navneet.brar@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Malini Jayawardana
Post Doctoral Fellow – (Dr. Dilantha Fernando)
211 Plant Science Building                                        Malini.Jayawardana@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Michelle Carkner
Research associate - (Dr. Martin Entz)
Agriculture Building
michelle.carkner@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Mohammad Sayari
Post Doctoral Fellow – (Dr. Fouad Daayf)
mohammad.sayari@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Deepak Sharma
Post Doctoral Fellow - (Dr. Belay Ayele)
Agriculture Building
deepak.sharma@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Mohamed Samir Youssef
Research Associate - (Dr. Harmeet Chawla)
mohamedsamir.youssef@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Sasha Loewen
Post Doctoral Fellow - (Dr. Martin Entz)
Agriculture Building
sasha.loewen@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Shaheen Bibi
Post Doctoral Fellow - (Dr. Dilantha Fernando)
Agriculture Building
shaheen.bibi@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Amarjot Kaur
Post Doctoral Fellow - (Dr. Belay Ayele)
Agriculture Building
amarjot.kaur1@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Demis Desta
Research Associate - (Dr. Curt McCartney)
Agriculture Building
demis.desta@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Gurleen Sidhu
Post Doctoral Fellow - (Dr. Belay Ayele)
Agriculture Building
Gurleen.Sidhu@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Anuradha De Silva
Post Doctoral Fellow - (Dr. Dilantha Fernando)
211 Plant Science Building

Dr. Masoomeh Gomroki
Post Doctoral Fellow - (Dr. Rob Gulden/Dr. Dilshan Benaragama)
207 Plant Science Building
Masoomeh.Gomroki@umanitoba.ca

Dr. Virendra Verma
Research Associate (Dr. Harmeet Chawla)
326 Agriculture Building
Virendra.Verma@umanitoba.ca