January 16, 2026
We're excited to announce the start of nine new research projects this year, with continued support from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF).
These projects are the result of a competitive grant program, in which proposals are peer-reviewed before being recommended for funding. Each project addresses one or more invasive species that MITPPC has identified as a critical issue for Minnesota.
The work will take place over several years, with expected completion in 2030. We look forward to sharing progress and results as time goes on. Subscribe to the MITPPC newsletter to get updates on research activities and the latest papers.
New projects
- Biological control of black locust using fungi, led by Robert Blanchette, PhD, Department of Plant Pathology
- Identifying Phytophthora and emerging plant pathogens entering MN through new pathways, led by Robert Blanchette, PhD, Department of Plant Pathology
- Riparian crack willow: benefit, harm or both for stream fauna?, led by Valerie Brady, PhD, Natural Resources Research Institute
- Optimizing genomic approaches for predicting current and future invasive plant distributions, led by Ryan Briscoe Runquist, PhD, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology
- Riparian crack willow: are channel impacts controllable by in-stream management?, led by Karen Gran, PhD, Swenson College of Science and Engineering
- Investigating Ralstonia host dynamics and persistence under environmental stress, led by Devanshi Khokhani, PhD, Department of Plant Pathology
- Addressing knowledge gaps for risk and management of corn tar spot, led by Dean Malvick, PhD, Department of Plant Pathology
- Revegetation to suppress invasion following oak wilt and chronic wasting disease, led by Michael Schuster, Department of Forest Resources
- Monitoring and risk assessment of the invasive Old World bollworm, led by Fei Yang, PhD, Department of Entomology
Get funding from MITPPC
MITPPC has a request for proposals open through April 1, 2026. There is $3.5 million available. UMN faculty, staff, and many postdocs are eligible to apply as principal investigators. We’d love to hear from you!