Andrea Glassmire Joins MSU
Michigan State University Welcomes Andrea Glassmire as an Assistant Professor.
Beginning in January of 2025, Glassmire will join the the departments of Entomology and Plant Biology. She will also be the newest faculty member to join the Plant Resilience Institute (PRI) a research group whose aim is to leverage advances in plant science to devlop
crops that are more resilient to the challenges presented by a changing climate.
Glassmire, a broadly trained plant ecologist, has extensive expertise in community ecology, plant chemistry, experimental design, and statistics. Her research focuses on how metabolomics mediate the complex interactions between plants, microbes, herbivores, and associated predators in order to improve pest management strategies and better understand species invasions. Her work spans a diverse range of ecosystems, including tropical forests, agricultural landscapes and wetlands. It is in these evironemnts where Glassmire integrates field research with quantitative chemistry to answer fundamental ecological questions.
In her new role at MSU, Glassmire will lead a research group dedicated to advancing the understanding of plant resilience by focusing on how plant-animal interactions are shaped by the interplay of chemistry and ecology and influenced by environmental challenges.
One of the major research initiatives in her lab will involve developing a model system for controlled manipulation of volatile traits to enhance biological control on insect communities in agroecosystems.
"Doctor Andrea Glassmire's research program in chemical ecology perfectly embodies the Plant Biology department's mission of understanding plants from molecules to ecosystems. We are excited to welcome Andrea as the newest faculty member in our PLB community," said Andrea Case, chair of the department of Plant Biology.
Glassmire brings a wealth of experience to MSU. She received her Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2017. She then completed a prestigious USDA-NIFA Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Entomology at MSU, under the mentorship of Dr. William Wetzel. Since April 2021, she has served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University.
“We are thrilled to welcome doctor Andrea Glassmire to the Plant Resilience Institute,” said PRI Director Seung Yon (Sue) Rhee. “Dr. Glassmire’s work promises to make significant contributions to the fields of chemical ecology and plant resilience, and we are excited to support her as she builds her research group at MSU.”
Glassmire was hired as part of MSU's ongoing efforts to recruit leaders in plant science through the Plant Science Excellence Hiring Initiative orchestrated by the Office of Research & Innovation. This broad hiring initiative centers around efforts to fill up to 25 new positions across MSU departments, centers, and institutes that span colleges and impact many aspects of plant science and agricultural scholarship.
