Lina Quesada
Bio
2026 Executive Director, The IR-4 Project
2024 William Neil Reynolds Distinguished Professor and University Faculty Scholar, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative, North Carolina State University
2018 Associate Professor and University Faculty Scholar, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University
2013 Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University
2012 NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University
2011 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University
2010 Ph.D. Plant Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, Michigan State University
2006 Visiting Scholar, Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University
2005 B.Sc. Biology, Universidad de Los Andes (Bogota, Colombia)
2005 B.Sc. Microbiology, Universidad de Los Andes (Bogota, Colombia)
Research
As Executive Director of The IR-4 Project, I lead a national program dedicated to delivering safe and effective disease and pest management solutions for U.S. specialty crop growers. IR-4 bridges science, regulation and industry to ensure that farmers have access to the tools they need to produce fruits, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms and ornamentals that sustain our food systems and rural economies.
My career has been grounded in building collaborative, science-driven solutions that protect high-value crops and respond to emerging threats. As a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor at NC State, I led interdisciplinary teams integrating genomics, diagnostics, epidemiology and field research to safeguard specialty crop industries and strengthen export markets. Our work translated discovery into action through resistance monitoring, biosurveillance and rapid-response strategies adopted nationally and internationally.
Throughout my career, I have prioritized partnerships across academia, government, and industry, and invested deeply in developing the next generation of agricultural scientists and leaders.
I am committed to advancing U.S. specialty crop agriculture through strategic collaboration, regulatory innovation and science that delivers measurable impact for growers.
I am a member of the Graduate Faculty for the Plant Pathology, Functional Genomics, Biotechnology and the Genetics and Genomics programs at NC State. I am also part of the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative and have a secondary appointment in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology.
Selected Publications
Visit my previous lab website for a complete list of publications.
NC State Vegetable Pathology Lab website
Publications
- Alternative Hosts, Infested Soil, and Infected Roots Serve as Independent Sources of Ceratocystis fimbriata Inoculum and Drive Infection in Sweetpotato Slips , Phytopathology (2026)
- An endosymbiotic Paenibacillus sp. modulates disease severity caused by the common watermelon pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f sp. niveum , bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2026)
- Assessment Efficacy of Selected Fungicides for Management of Anthracnose of ‘Lizst’ Cucumber in Goldsboro, NC, 2025 , Plant Health Progress (2026)
- Assessment of Cucumber Varieties for Resistance to Anthracnose in Goldsboro, NC, 2025 , Plant Health Progress (2026)
- Discovery of a major QTL for resistance to Fusarium wilt ( Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. batatas ) in the hexaploid Covington sweetpotato , Crop Science (2026)
- Evaluation of Fungicides for Management of Cucurbit Downy Mildew on Cucumbers, 2025 (Clinton, NC) , Plant Health Progress (2026)
- Evaluation of Fungicides for Postharvest Management of Sour Rot of Sweetpotato, 2025 (Clayton, North Carolina) , Plant Health Progress (2026)
- Invisible Threats, Relentless Hunters: Biosurveillance of Airborne Plant Pathogens , Annual Review of Phytopathology (2026)
- Modern Taxonomy as the Foundation for Identifying and Managing Fungal and Fungus-Like Plant Pathogens , Plant Disease (2026)
- The Sweetpotato Black Rot Pathogen Ceratocystis fimbriata , Molecular Plant Pathology (2026)