Staff

PhD Plant Pathology, University of Arizona, USA

Biocontrol of plant disease, integrated disease management, bacterial and fungal diseases, pathogen diversity, and plant disease ecology

Lourena Arone Maxwell holds a PhD and a Master’s degree in Plant Pathology from the University of Arizona, USA, and a bachelor’s degree in Agronomic Engineering from Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), Mozambique. Lourena has served at UEM as a university lecturer of plant pathology, agricultural microbiology, and integrated pest management. She has experience in managing and implementing research and projects that support plant health for food security. This includes coordinating the first plant clinics in Mozambique (collaboration with CABI), characterization of rice blast and bacterial blight pathogens in East and South Africa (collaboration with IRRI), and biocontrol of aflatoxins in Mozambique (collaboration with USDA and IITA). Lourena is an active member and volunteer at the American Phytopathological Society (APS). She was the 2018 Graduate Student Committee Chair, and she serves on the steering committee of the African Phytopathology group. She joined WorldVeg in 2021 as a postdoctoral scientist researching biocontrol of vegetable diseases and promoting environmentally friendly sustainable plant health approaches.