Alamgir Rahman

Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology
Plant and Environmental Sciences Department, PeeDee Research and Education Center

Office: 2200 Pocket Road, Florence, SC
Phone: 814-441-9026

Email: alamgir@clemson.edu

Educational Background

Ph.D. Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology
The Pennsylvania State University 2014

M.Sc. Microbiology
University of Dhaka 2001

Profile

I am an Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center (PDREC) in Florence, South Carolina, with a 70% research and 30% extension appointment. My academic appointment resides within the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University. As a vegetable pathologist, my program primarily focuses on the management of fungal and oomycete diseases of vegetable crops through integrated and sustainable approaches that combine molecular diagnostics and biosurveillance, fungicide resistance monitoring, and host–pathogen interaction studies. My research and extension efforts aim to develop data-driven, science-based solutions that enhance disease management strategies and support vegetable growers across the southeastern United States. Prior to joining Clemson, I served as a Discovery Fungicide Biologist at Corteva Agriscience in the Crop Protection Discovery and Development Division where I led hypothesis-driven research to discover and characterize novel fungicide molecules with new modes of action, integrating molecular biology, plant pathology, and bioinformatics to improve disease management in specialty crops. I developed and managed high-throughput screening assays, conducted controlled-environment and field efficacy trials. I also led a multidisciplinary team to discover new druggable target proteins in fungal and oomycete pathogens to advance early-stage fungicide candidates through the discovery pipeline. My overarching goal as the vegetable pathologist at PDREC is to establish a nationally recognized research and extension program that advances vegetable pathology and promotes sustainable crop production.

Research Interests

My research focuses on the fungicide efficacy, biology, epidemiology, and management of fungal and oomycete diseases in vegetable crops, emphasizing sustainable and integrated disease management. I am particularly interested in understanding fungicide resistance mechanisms, developing molecular diagnostic tools for early pathogen detection, and investigating host – pathogen interactions in vegetable crops with particular focus on fungal diseases on lima beans. My program combines fungicide field efficacy trials, controlled-environment assays, and genomic and bioinformatic approaches to link fundamental pathogen biology with practical management solutions. I also explore population genetics, effector discovery, and biosurveillance systems to improve disease prediction and mitigation. Students and postdocs in my lab will gain interdisciplinary training in plant pathology, molecular biology, and applied field research, contributing to projects that directly address the challenges faced by vegetable growers in South Carolina and the broader southeastern region.

Publications

1. Salcedo, A., Rahman, A., Guerra, D., D’Arcangelo, K., Wallace, E. C., Prieto, M., Crouch, J. A., Miles, T. D., Hausbeck, M. K., Gent, D., Childs, K., Gongora-Castillo, E., Keinath, A., Kousik, C. K., Ojiambo, P., E., Smart, C., Vallad, G., and Quesada-Ocampo, L. M. Unraveling historical shifts in Pseudoperonospora cubensis populations in the U.S. that resulted in the 2004 cucurbit downy mildew epidemic. (in prep)
2. Rahman, A., and Quesada-Ocampo, L. M. Separation of Pseudoperonospora cubensis sporangia from contaminating phyllosphere microbiota using filtration and exploiting effect of osmotic pressure of on zoosporogenesis. (in prep)
3. Rahman, A., Pulan, Y., Yannick, D., Zhang, Y. 2023. An integrated AlphaFold based protein modeling and virtual high throughput screening (vHTS) approach for hit generation and target discovery. P-075, APS Plant Health Meeting.
4. Pulan, Y., Smith, S., Rahman, A., Yannick, D. F., Zhang, Y. 2023. Integrated virtual high throughput screening (vHTS) approach for hit generation. Spring 2023 National ACS meeting, March 26 – 30.
5. Rahman, A., Standish, J. R., D’Arcangelo, K. N., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. 2021. Clade-specific biosurveillance of Pseudoperonospora cubensis using spore traps for precision disease management of cucurbit downy mildew pathogen. Phytopathology. 111:312-320. DOI: 10.1080/07060661.2017.1357661.
6. Rahman, A., Gongora-Castillo, E., Bowman, M., Childs, K., and Quesada-Ocampo, L. M. 2019. Genome sequencing and transcriptome analysis of the hop downy mildew pathogen Pseudoperonospora humuli reveal species-specific genes for molecular detection. Phytopathology. 109:1354-1366. DOI: 10.1080/07060661.2017.1357661.
7. Crandall, S. G., Rahman, A., Quesada-Ocampo L. M., Martin, F., Bilodeau, G. J., and Miles, T. 2018. Advances in diagnostic downy mildews: lessons learned from other oomycetes and future challenges. Plant Dis. DOI:10.1094/PDIS-09-17-1455-FE.
8. Rahman, A., Miles, T., Martin, F., and Quesada-Ocampo L. M. 2017. Molecular approaches for biosurveillance of the cucurbit downy mildew pathogen, Pseudoperonospora cubensis. Can. J. Plant Pathol. DOI: 10.1080/07060661.2017.1357661.
9. Rahman, A., Wallis, C. M. and Uddin, W. 2015. Silicon induced systemic defense responses in perennial ryegrass against infection by Magnaporthe oryzae. Phytopathology. 105:748-757.
10. Rahman, A., Uddin, W. and Nancy, W. 2015. Induced systemic resistance responses in perennial ryegrass against Magnaporthe oryzae elicited by semi-purified surfactin lipopeptides and live cells of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Mol. Plant Pathol. 16(6): 546-558.
11. Rahman, A., Kuldau, G. A. and Uddin, W. 2014. Induction of salicylic acid-mediated defense response in perennial ryegrass against infection by Magnaporthe oryzae. Phytopathology 104:614-623.

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