Abby Sulesky works in Ashley Shade's Lab.

Area of expertise: Effects of plant stress on seed microbiome.

Abby received her Bachelors degree from Michigan State University in 2018 with a dual major in Microbiology and Environmental Science. As an undergraduate she worked in a plant ecology lab studying variation in plant traits based on latitudinal gradients, and conducted independent research on fungal pathogen resistance in Pokeweed. Additionally, she participated in a summer research program with the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Bioproducts studying the optimization of cyanobacteria production for biofuel feedstock. Abby has always had a strong interest in combining microbiology and ecology to study environmental issues and find solutions to impacts from human land use and climate change. She joined Dr. Ashley Shade’s lab in 2019 to pursue a PhD in Microbiology and Michigan State’s Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior program. Her current work is focused on the effects of plant stress on the seed microbiome of the common bean, and the heritability of the plant microbiome through the seed. In her spare time Abby likes to cook and bake, play the piano, enjoy the outdoors and spend time with her family, friends and her dog.