Dr. Zhaohui Liu is originally from China where he obtained his B.S. degree in biology and M.Sc. degree in crop genetics and breeding and had five years of working experience in wheat genetics and breeding. Dr. Liu came to the United States in 2002 and received his Ph.D. in 2006 from the Department of Plant Pathology at NDSU. Before joining the department as an assistant professor, Dr. Liu had worked for several years in the Cereal Crops Research Unit, Northern Crop Science Laboratory, USDA-ARS as a post-doctoral research associate with Dr. Tim Friesen. In his current position, Dr. Liu has the responsibility for several economically important wheat leaf diseases in North Dakota, including Stagonospora nodorum blotch and other Septoria diseases, tan spot, and bacterial leaf streak. His research is primarily focused on the molecular genetics and biology of host-pathogen interactions with the goal of gaining a better understanding of these disease systems and to provide knowledge for the development of disease management tools. Dr. Liu is also working closely with geneticists, breeders and other pathologists in this region to identify host resistance for these diseases. Dr. Liu has teaching responsibilities in Physiology of Plant Diseases. Dr. Liu is assisted in the lab and greenhouse by Gongjun Shi.

Physiology of Plant Diseases Wheat genetics and breeding