Cindy E. Morris

I am a senior scientist and research director at the Plant Pathology research unit of INRAE’s center in Avignon, France where I have worked since 1989. My research focuses on microbial ecology to elucidate how the adaptation of microorganisms to their habitats affects two seemingly conflicting impacts on the environment: their capacity to i) cause disease, and in particular newly emerging diseases and to ii) play beneficial roles in major environmental phenomena – the water cycle in particular. My research concerns primarily the bacterium *Pseudomonas syringae* but my team also studies a wide range of other bacterial and fungal pathogens of plants. Questions common to the models of my team include the nature of non-agricultural habitats of pathogens and their role in disease outbreaks, and tracking pathways of long distance dissemination via the atmosphere and waterway. Detail of my activities can be found on the website of a project I coordinate about modernizing surveillance for plant health (https://beyond.paca.hub.inrae.fr/) and on my blog about the interaction of microorganisms with atmospheric processes (<https://bioice.wordpress.com/>). This work has led me to be involved in fostering understanding and adoption of the concept of One Health. In collaboration with Avignon University, I recently co-founded a new international graduate teaching and research program – IMPLANTEUS that opened in Sept 2020 (https://implanteus.univ-avignon.fr/en/) - that melds plant production and food processing with environmental sciences and human health. I also compose lyrics and performs songs about science and post educational videos about plant health and atmospheric processes on my YouTube channel (<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcaDNBCQ2nFaZ6NIJPSoMwg>). Awards & Recognition 2009. Distinguished Alumnus, Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, USA 2015. Chevalier of the Order of Agricultural Merit, July 2015, French Minister of Agriculture 2021. Fellow, American Society of Phytopathology https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/awards/Pages/2021_Morris.aspx 2023. Femme-en-tête, Collège des Sociétés Savantes Académiques de France https://societes-savantes.fr/femmes-en-tete-2023-cindy-morris/ 2023. Fellow. International Society for Plant Pathology https://www.isppweb.org/about_objectives.asp#hm