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Unfortunate passing of esteemed colleague; Dr. Gopi Krishna Podila
2010-02-17 12:02:01
It is with profound sadness that we learned of the tragic death of Dr Gopi Krishna Podila on February 12th. Many mycorrhiza researchers around the world are mourning his passing. His departure will be a great loss to our community. Dr. Podila had been the Chairperson of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Alabama, USA for the last ten years. Prior to that he was Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences of Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan. He received a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from Nagarjuna University in Andhra Pradesh, and, in 1983, a master's degree in Plant Pathology from Louisiana State University. He received a doctorate in molecular biology from Indiana State University in 1987. He was also an active member and past Chair of the Mycorrhiza Committee of the American Phytopathological Society. He was an editorial board member of the journals Symbiosis, New Phytologist, Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, and Journal of Plant Interactions. Dr. Podila’s keen mind and energy for forestry and ectomycorrhizal research is evidenced in the breadth and depth of his research career. Among the key interests pursued by Dr Podila were engineering tree biomass for bioenergy and functional genomics of plant-microbe interactions. His group studied early gene expression resulting from ectomycorrhizal formation in order to identify genes essential for ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. His lab was one of the first to genetically engineer mycorrhizal fungi for functional genomic studies, and collaborated on research on the differential gene expression in germinating spores of AM fungi upon exposure to host root exudate signals. Most recently, Dr. Podila was an active member of the international steering committees involved in sequencing of the genomes from the ectomycorrhizal fungus (Laccaria bicolor) and the AM fungus, Glomus intraradices. His lab was also pursuing the molecular basis of developmental control of reproductive tissues and vascular tissues (wood formation) using poplar as a model system. Studies included cloning, characterization, and protein-protein interaction of MADS-box family transcription factors that control these processes. He was closely associated with TERI in working on genetic improvement of the biodiesel species, Jatropha curcas. He worked on high throughput sequencing of cDNAs of Jatropha that led to the identification of over 20000 unigenes some of which were responsible for oil synthesis. To top his scientific achievements, he was an excellent teacher, a trait he demonstrated with great enthusiasm while interacting with students of all levels such as high school, undergraduate as well as doctoral. Never to raise his voice, he was a patient, amicable and polite co-worker. An ardent lover of music, and a researcher to the core with an eye to catch the minutest detail, he was an excellent human being who shall be remembered forever by one and all who had the chance to meet him. Alok Adholeya, David Douds and Francis Martin After consultation with his family, the IMS will be establishing a fund in honour of Gopi Podila’s contributions to our field.
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