Michele Wiseman, MSc PhD

Postdoctoral Associate, Boyce Thompson Institute & USDA-ARS GGRU at Cornell Agritech

I am a plant pathologist and computational biologist interested in understanding the genetic basis of plant disease resistance and developing tools that make plant phenotyping faster, more quantitative, and more scalable.

My research combines plant pathology, genomics, gene editing, bioinformatics, and computer vision. Much of my work focuses on powdery mildew pathosystems and on understanding how variation in host susceptibility and resistance genes can be used to develop more durable disease resistance.

I am currently a Postdoctoral Associate at Cornell Agritech, working with researchers in the USDA-ARS Grape Genetics Research Unit, where my work focuses on engineering disease resistance, designing and improving computer vision workflows, and subsequent quantitative analyses of data from the high-throughput phenotyping.

Current Research

Disease resistance genomics

I study genetic variation associated with plant disease susceptibility and resistance, with particular emphasis on the Mildew Locus O (MLO) gene family. My current work examines diversity within grapevine MLO genes across germplasm and genomic resources, with the goal of identifying naturally occurring and engineered alleles that may reduce powdery mildew susceptibility while minimizing unwanted pleiotropic effects.

Computer vision and high-throughput phenotyping

I develop computational approaches for extracting quantitative plant traits from images. My current work includes high-throughput phenotyping of grapevine nursery material using computer vision and language-driven vision models.

Previous projects have included automated microscopic detection of powdery mildew and computer-vision detection and quantification of two-spotted spider mite life stages.

Gene editing and functional genomics

My doctoral research investigated susceptibility and resistance to powdery mildew in hop using genomics, functional biology, gene editing, and high-throughput phenotyping. This work included development of transformation and CRISPR-mediated editing approaches targeting MLO susceptibility genes.

Open-source tools and automation

I enjoy developing computational and engineering solutions that reduce repetitive laboratory and phenotyping tasks. Previous projects include automated microscopy, modular liquid handling systems, custom laboratory hardware, image-analysis workflows, and reproducible bioinformatics pipelines.

Current Position

Postdoctoral Associate
BTI/USDA-ARS GGRU at Cornell Agritech
2026–present

Education

PhD, Botany and Plant Pathology
Oregon State University, 2026
Minor: Biological Data Sciences

MS, Plant Pathology
Washington State University, 2013
Concentration: Mycology

BS, Biology
Oregon State University, 2011
Minor: Chemistry

Selected Research Themes

• Plant disease resistance and susceptibility
• Powdery mildew pathosystems
• MLO susceptibility genes
• Comparative and pangenomics
• Computer vision
• High-throughput phenotyping
• CRISPR and genome editing
• Bioinformatics and scientific computing
• Open-source laboratory automation

Publications

I am someone who is driven by curiosity and growth; consequently, I have a fairly broad research background that includes work in plant pathology, genomics, plant breeding, computer vision, fungal biology, and biotechnology.

View my publications on Google Scholar

Contact

Email: msw287@cornell.edu
GitHub: github.com/mswiseman
Web: mswiseman.github.io