As brown spot needle blight continues to threaten forest health, developing effective management strategies has become essential. My research aims to unravel the fungal community structure associated with both disease and symptom severity, analyze the population structure of the dominant fungal species, and understand key attributes of disease severity. Additionally, I am utilizing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to investigate host-fungal interactions across various loblolly pine families and diverse landscapes. This approach allows me to characterize the fungal taxa recovered from each family and determine their influence on disease severity.

Working on this project has been a profoundly transformative experience. Technically, it has significantly sharpened my expertise in advanced genomic and transcriptomic analyses, equipping me with the bioinformatics skills necessary to decode complex biological data. Research-wise, it has fundamentally shifted my perspective on plant pathology. By discovering the multi-species complexity surrounding BSNB, I have learned to view forest diseases holistically rather than merely as isolated host-pathogen interactions. Lastly, through presentations, I have learned how to communicate with a broader scientific community.

Fellowships and Awards

1. Auburn University Outstanding Doctoral Student in Wildlife Sciences, 2026
2. Auburn University Graduate Student Council Travel Fellowship
   MANRRS Gold Scholarship, 2026
3. Harry Murphy Graduate Outstanding Student of the Year Award, 2026
4. Society for the Study of Evolution Travel Grant, 2025
5. James Floyd Goggans Endowed Fellowship in Forest Biology, 2025
6. Tim and Kathy Pollard Scholarship Award, 2025
7. John Deere Graduate Fellowship, 2024
8. Kykenkee Fellowship, 2024
9. Outstanding Graduate Student Senator, 2024
10. American Farm Bureau Fellowship, MANRRS Gold Scholarship, 2024
11. Genetics Society, Conference Attendance Grant, 2023
    Population Genetics Group, Genetics Society, 2023

Publications

1. Silva GAA, Folorunso TR, Miranda Paez A, Lamka G, Singh S, King J, Henderson L, Persyn M, Mwema T, Lindow T, Amiri N, Eckhardt LG, Narine L, Willoughby JR. (2026) Biology, detection, and management of Lecanosticta acicola, the causal agent of Brown Spot Needle Blight in pine forests. Journal of Forest pathology.
2. Folorunso TR, Silva GAA, Girón ME, Lindow T, Persyn M, Eckhardt LG, Willoughby JR. (2025). Optimized protocol for culturing and extracting DNA from fungal isolates associated with brown spot needle blight. PLoS One. 20:e0337218.
3. Folorunso TR, Sundaram M, Potnis N, Stevison L, Eckhardt LG, Willoughby JR. (2025). ). Quantifying the influence of genetic factors and life cycle strategies on plant pathogens virulence and disease severity. Journal of Plant Pathology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42161-025-02011-z
4. Folorunso TR, Silva GAA, Olantinwo R.O, Eckhardt LG, Willoughby JR. Additive fungal community assembly, but not population structure, is associated with symptom severity in pine needle blight. New Phtologist, in review.
5. Silva GAA, Folorunso TR, Eckhardt LG, Willoughby JR. Quantitative comparison of fungal genome assembly strategies using short and long-reads from simulated and empirical sequencing data. Microbial genomics, in revision
6. Folorunso TR, Lamka GF, Miranda Paez A, Silva GAA, Eckhardt LG, Simonis M, Willoughby JR. Ecological and evolutionary insights into fungal pathogens and their management across plant and animal kingdoms. Ecology and Evolution, in revision.
7. Folorunso TR, Berigan L, Chen H, Eckhardt LG, Willoughby JR. (2025). Multi-omics integration for understanding and managing forest resilience. Forest and Global Change, in review.

I am a doctoral candidate working on the Brown Spot Needle Blight (BSNB) project, where my research focuses on understanding how environmental factors such as stand characteristics and weather influence disease dynamics. I also examine how loblolly pine anatomy and physiology both influence and respond to disease. Through this work, I have been especially impacted by opportunities to connect with landowners and industry partners and to see firsthand how my research can improve their livelihoods. Additionally, I have had the chance to collaborate with an incredible group of researchers on this project and to work alongside some of the leading professionals in forestry and forest health.

Awards

1. James Henderson Dukes Memorial Fellowship of Forestry, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, 2026
2. Graduate Research and Travel Fellowship, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, 2025
3. 1st Place for oral presentation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the Auburn University Graduate Student Research Symposium, 2025
4. Graduate Research and Travel Fellowship, Auburn University, 2025
5. Selected as one of the four presenters in the 2025 I.E. Melhus Graduate Student Symposium as part of Plant Health 2025 in Honolulu Hawaii, 2025
6. Graduate Research and Travel Fellowship, Auburn University, 2024
7. James Henderson Dukes Memorial Fellowship of Forestry, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, 2024
8. 1st Place Graduate Student Poster Presentation Award in Agricultural, Soil, and Natural Resources, Sigma Xi Student Research Showcase, International Forum in Research Excellence, 2023
9. Induction into Sigma Xi – The International Scientific Research Honor Society, 2023

Publications

1. Silva, G., Folorunso, T., Miranda Paez, A
2. Lamka, G.F., Singh, S., King, J., Henderson, L., Persyn, M., Mwema, T., Lindow, T., Amiri, N., Eckhardt, L., Narine, L., Wiloughby,J.R. (2025). Biology, detection, and management of Lecanosticta acicola: emerging challenges for the management of Brown Spot Needle Blight in pine forest. Forest Pathology 56, no. 1: e70061. https://doi.org/10.1111/efp.70061.

My component of the research study focuses on the development of remote sensing-based detection of Brown Spot Needle Blight (BSNB) in pine forests of the southeastern U.S. The project combines field-based observations with UAV-based multispectral imagery, lidar and satellite remote sensing with machine learning techniques for BSNB distribution mapping. This research will provide a definitive basis for future remote sensing applications in forest health and support operational forest health monitoring.

Awards

1. Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, Auburn University Graduate School, 2026
2. Drummond Company Endowed Fellowship Award – Outstanding PhD Student, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, 2026
3. Presidential Graduate Opportunity Program (PGOP) Fellowship, Auburn University Graduate School, 2025
4. James Henderson Dukes Memorial Fellowship, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, 2025
5. Creative Showcase Winner, Gogue Performing Arts Center Exhibition, Auburn University, 2025
6. NASA – AGU Michael H. Freilich Student Visualization Competition – Grand Prize Winner, AGU Fall Meeting, Washington, DC, USA, 2024
7. Merriwether Fellowship, Auburn University Graduate School, 2024
8. James Floyd Goggans Endowed Fellowship, College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, 2024
9. Best Poster Presentation Award, Auburn Research Student Symposium, 2024
10. Best Poster Presentation Award, Southern Forestry GIS Conference, Athens, GA, USA, 2023

Publications

1. Singh S, Narine LL, Eckhardt LG. UAV-multispectral imaging and machine learning for Brown Spot Needle Blight severity assessment in southeastern US pine forests. Environmental Research Communications. 2025 Sep 1;7(9):091011.
2. Singh S, Narine LL, Willoughby JR, Eckhardt LG. Remote sensing-based detection of brown spot needle blight: a comprehensive review, and future directions. PeerJ. 2025 May 22;13:e19407.
3. Silva G, Folorunso TR, Paez AM, Lamka GF, Singh S, King J, Henderson L, Persyn M, Mwema T, Lindow T, Amiri N. Biology, Detection, and Management of Lecanosticta

As the central theme of my doctorate studies, the Brown Spot Need Blight (BSNB) project has shaped and transformed my scientific life, serving as one of the most formative and meaningful experiences so far. Through this work, I have contributed to research on important forest health issues affecting pine ecosystems, while developing a stronger foundation in genomics, bioinformatics, plant pathology and disease ecology. The project has also helped me grow as a scientist by giving me opportunities not only to work across disciplines but also to collaborate with many different researchers with distinct expertise, and to think more critically about how molecular tools can be applied to real-world conservation and management challenges. Overall, this experience has enriched my research interests and solidified my goals of using genomics and bioinformatics in solving pressing issues in forest systems and human development.

BSNB-Related Publications

1. Silva, G. A. A., et al. (2026). Quantitative comparison of fungal genome assembly strategies using short and long reads from simulated and empirical sequencing data. Submitted.
2. Silva, G. A. A., et al. (2026). Biology, detection, and management of Lecanosticta acicola: Emerging challenges for the management of brown spot needle blight in pine forests. Forest Pathology. DOI: 10.1111/efp.70061
3. Folorunso, T., Lamka, G., Paez, A., Silva, G. A. A., et al. (2026). Ecological and evolutionary insights into fungal pathogens and their management across plant and animal kingdoms. Accepted.
4. Folorunso, T. R., Silva, G., et al. (2025). Optimized protocol for culturing and extracting DNA from fungal isolates associated with brown spot needle blight in pine trees. PLOS ONE, 20(11), e0337218. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0337218

Other Publications 

1. Miranda Paez, A., Sattler, R., Lamka, G. F., Silva, G. A. A., et al. (2026). Persistent genetic connectivity in the Mulchatna caribou herd after prolonged population decline with predictions of future population divergence. PeerJ, 14, e20912 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.20912.
2. Mwema, T., Lamka, G., Paez, A., Silva, G. A. A., et al. (2025). Comparative genomic signatures of species introductions across diverse taxa. In revision.
3. Silva, G. A. A., et al. (2024). Detectability of runs of homozygosity is influenced by analysis parameters and population-specific demographic history. PLOS Computational Biology, 20(10), e1012566. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012566