Michael Gordon

Biography

Originally from Illinois, Michael has made his way across the western US working in Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Alaska, Oregon, and now Washington. While an undergraduate student at Oregon State University, Michael got a student job performing molecular diagnostics for the OSU Plant Clinic to help pay his way through school. He liked plant pathology so much that he stayed on after graduation to help with a grant aimed at helping the nursery industry better manage gall-forming bacteria. This work ultimately inspired him to pursue a PhD at OSU where he was mentored by Jared LeBoldus, Steve Strauss, and Posy Busby. For his dissertation, Michael developed RNA-interference-mediated disease resistance in trees against fungal pathogens and evaluated non-target impacts of this technology on foliar microbiomes. Michael joined the Vegetable Seed Pathology Program in September 2024 to attempt to fill the shoes of his long-time predecessor Mike Derie. Michael will perform a mix of field, greenhouse, and laboratory work and he is excited to contribute to extension research that has an impact on growers and consumers of PNW agriculture. In his free time, Michael is a musician, craftsman, and a cook. He enjoys playing older music on his mandolin and fiddle, slowly builds his own furniture, and enjoys cooking and sharing comfort food with others.