Advances in Plant Pathology Research

Dr. Eugénia Maria Antunes de Andrade is a Portuguese researcher specialized in plant molecular biology, plant pathology, agricultural biotechnology, and molecular diagnostics. She obtained her Ph.D. in Agronomic Engineering from Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA), Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, with doctoral research conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Germany.

Her research focuses on molecular detection methods, plant–pathogen interactions, GMO detection and regulation, nematology, mycotoxins, genome editing, and biosensor development for plant health monitoring.

She has served as Guest Editor for the Journal of Plant Pathology and as Guest Editor of the Special Issue “Molecular Breeding in Horticultural Plants” in MDPI journal Plants.

Dr. Andrade has an H-index of 10 (Web of Science) and 12 (ResearchGate) as of November 2025 and has contributed extensively to indexed international journals, book chapters, technical reports, and European scientific initiatives.

Musa Decius Saffa is a Sierra Leonean agricultural scientist and lecturer at Njala University, where he has been teaching and conducting research since 2016. With a strong academic background in crop protection, he holds a BSc (Hons), MSc, and has recently completed his PhD in Crop Protection at Njala University. His work focuses primarily on plant health, including the management of agricultural pests and diseases, sustainable crop production, and integrated pest control strategies.

Musa has contributed to the scientific community with over a dozen publications in reputable journals, addressing issues such as the effect of green manure on maize productivity, pest infestation in local yam genotypes, and seasonal variations in cassava disease incidence. He has actively participated in agricultural seminars and workshops and served as a laboratory assistant with WAVE Sierra Leone. His commitment to agricultural advancement is matched by his dedication as an ordained minister since 2016.

Fluent in English, Mende, and Krio, Musa is passionate about improving food security and promoting environmentally sound agricultural practices across Sierra Leone and beyond.

Dr. Alieu Mohamed Bah is an Associate Professor of Crop Science and currently serves as the Deputy Vice Chancellor at Njala University, Sierra Leone. He holds a Ph.D. in Crop Science from Zhejiang University, China, an M.Sc. in Agricultural Education, and a B.Sc. in Agricultural Education from Njala University. With over two decades of academic and professional experience, Dr. Bah has held several leadership roles, including Head of the Crop Science Department and Dean of the School of Agriculture.

Dr. Bah is an accomplished researcher in areas such as plant stress physiology, organic soil amendments, and varietal improvement. He has published over 25 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and has supervised numerous undergraduate, MPhil, and Ph.D. theses. He has also played a lead role in major national and international agricultural research projects, especially in food safety, rice breeding, and mutation breeding under the IAEA-AFRA initiatives.

In addition to his academic contributions, Dr. Bah has been actively involved in national development projects, consultancy, curriculum development, and capacity building. He has served as a consultant for various organizations including BBC Media Action, COOPI, IFAD, and AAH. He also coordinated several donor-funded initiatives focused on seed production, food security, and sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Bah is a member of several professional bodies including the African Crop Science Society and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists. His service includes editorial board memberships, national agricultural boards, and leadership in educational and community development institutions.

Dr. Wen-Hsin Chung is a Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan. He earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences from Tsukuba University, Japan, following his M.S. and B.S. degrees from NCHU. Over the years, Dr. Chung has held several leadership positions, including Director of the Agricultural Extension Center and Chair of the Master Program for Plant Medicine and Good Agricultural Practice. His career includes extensive research and administrative experience, such as serving as Director of the Agricultural Products Approval and Certification Center and as a researcher at the Asia Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC).

Dr. Seema Ramniwas is an Associate Professor at Marwadi University, Rajkot, with extensive experience in genetics and evolutionary physiology. She has worked on the ecophysiology of water loss regulation, fitness-related traits in insects, sustainable management of fruit fly pests, and host-pathogen interactions. She has received several prestigious fellowships, including INSA-DST INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship, DST Women Scientist Fellowship, and Postdoctoral Fellowship from UGC. Dr. Ramniwas has also been recognized with international travel grants to attend conferences in the USA and Japan.