Katie Riccio

Katie started her PhD project at Niab in 2025, through the CTP-SAI studentship programme. Her research focuses on predicting fungicide resistance evolution by combining theoretical and experimental approaches. Working with Zymoseptoria tritici isolates carrying mutations in the azole fungicide target gene CYP51, Katie is investigating how these mutations influence both azole resistance and pathogen fitness under different selection pressures, supervised by Nichola Hawkins. She will also develop mathematical models with Nik Cunniffe (University of Cambridge) to predict and test resistance dynamics and competition outcomes between isolates.

Research

Title: Predicting fungicide resistance evolution: combining theoretical and experimental approaches
Duration: 2025-2029
Partners: Niab, University of Cambridge, Syngenta
Funder: UKRI

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7681-7590