Meet the Directors

Dr. César Marín, Full Professor, Universidad Santo Tomás, Chile
Dr. César Marín, Full Professor, Universidad Santo Tomás, ChileDirector (2022 - 2026), IMS Newsletter Editor-in-Chief (since 2020)
Guest Researcher, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Research and interests:
• Relationship between soil biodiversity & ecosystem functions
• Application of mycorrhizas in agriculture, forestry, & others
• Natural selection in plant holobionts & mycorrhizas
• Serves in the Chile-ANID Scholarships/Grants panel – Biología 1
• Lead and Founder of the South American Mycorrhizal Research Network
• Editorial Board: Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment; Fungal Ecology; Plants, People, Planet

Dr. Patricia Silva-Flores, Universidad Católica del Maule, Chile
Dr. Patricia Silva-Flores, Universidad Católica del Maule, ChileCommunications Director (2022-2026)
Assistant Professor, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Maule (CIEAM), Universidad Católica del Maule, Chile.
Founding and active member South American Mycorrhizal Research Network
Associate Researcher SPUN

Research and interests:
• Mycorrhizal and fungal ecology.
• Mycorrhizal traits.
• Application of mycorrhizal fungi and mycorrhiza in ecological restoration and sustainable agriculture.
• Mycology.
• Conservation biology.
• Science communication and outreach.
• Gender gap in STEM.
• art-science (Fungi).

Dr. Franck Stefani, Agriculture and Agri-Food, Canada
Dr. Franck Stefani, Agriculture and Agri-Food, CanadaTreasurer
Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Curator of the Canadian Collection of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (CCAMF)

Research and Interests:
• In vivo and in vitro cultures of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
• Molecular systematics and genetics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
• Soil fertility and soil microbiome in agricultural and forest ecosystems

Dr. Jonathan Plett, University of Western Sydney, Australia
Dr. Jonathan Plett, University of Western Sydney, AustraliaICOM13 Organizer
Associate Professor; Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, NSW, Australia.

Research and Interests:
The broad aim of my research is to identify and understand how signals are sent and perceived by plants and their associated microbiota to coordinate development and enable this ecosystem to survive under less than ideal conditions.

Dr. Pedro Madeira Antunes, Algoma University, Canada
Dr. Pedro Madeira Antunes, Algoma University, CanadaDirector (2024 - 2028)
Plant and Soil Ecology Lab
Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier II), Department of Biology, Algoma University.
Adjunct Professor, Biology Department, Queens University
Graduate Faculty, School of Environmental Sciences – University of Guelph

Research and interests:
My research aims to understand how disturbances from human activities alter the composition and ecological functions of mycorrhizal communities.

Professional memberships:
• Soil Ecology Society – SES
• International Mycorrhiza Society – IMS
• Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution – CSEE
• Ecological Society of America – ESA
• International Symbiosis Society – ISS

Editorial Service:
• IMS Newsletter (applications editor)
• Symbiosis
• Pedobiologia (Section Editor)
• Revista Brasileira de Ciencia do Solo