User:Alexander Ignatov

Biography
Aleksandr (Alex) N. Ignatov
Head of Plant Pathogens Diagnostic Laboratory, R&D Center PhytoEngineering, Rogachevo, Moscow region, Russia
Professor of Agrobiotechnology Department, Russian People's Friendship University, Moscow Russia

Alex (Aleksandr) Ignatov was born in Moscow region, Russia, at 1965. He obtained his diploma in Agronomy at the Russian State Agricultural University – MSKHA, with a specialization in Plant Protection/Plant Pathology (1987). After graduation, he worked for 2.5 years in the All-Union Research Institute of Phytopathology (Dept. Fungal diseases of cereals), and moved to continue education as PhD student in the Russian Institute of Vegetables Breeding, where, he obtained his degree in Plant Breeding and Plant Protection (1992), specializing in Brassica plants genetic and induced resistance to bacterial pathogens. He had a first post-doc position (1994-95) at the Horticulture Research International – Wellesbourne (currently HRI-Warwick University, UK) studying plant bacterial diseases in Dr. John D. Taylor’s group, and continued this research as JSTA Fellow at National Institute of Vegetable, Ornamental Plants and Tea, Japan (1997-98) in Department of Prof. H. Yoshikawa. In 1998 he returned to the Russian Federation to work at the Center “Bioengineering” of Russian Academy of Sciences on genetic flow from GM plants to wild and weedy cereals, brassicas, and soybeans, until he formed a new laboratory of Molecular Phytopathology at 2009. Main results of his work are in fields of plant/pathogen diversity, plant pathogenic bacteria and plant virus epidemiology and detection. In 2001, he entered ISTC Project 1771p (2001-5) devoted to collection and study of plant pathogenic bacteria in Russia. During this Project he has got a post-doc fellowship (2004-5) at Nebraska University, actually working at the Foreign Diseases and Weeds Science Research Unit (ARS, USDA), Fort Detrick, MD, in Laboratory of Dr. Norman W. Schaad. In 2006 he initiated ISTC project #3431, continuing the study of plant pathogenic bacteria and plant diseases till now. At 2001-2013 he participated in 12 other projects supported by ISTC, DTRA, and Russian Scientific Funds, and supervised 10 MSc and 6 PhD students. At 2007, he achieved a degree of Doctor of Science in Biology.
He was a professor of Russian State Agricultural University (2010-13), and has been elected a Head of Agrobiotechnology Dept. in Russian People’s Friendship University (2013-2015). Currently, he works as a professor at Russian People’s Friendship University and Research Director & Lab Head for R&D Center “PhytoEngineering” Ltd. He is a member of American Phytopathological and Microbiological Societies, published over 160 research articles devoted to plant and bacterial genetic diversity, plant pathology, plant breeding, etc.