Kamal Kumar Malukani
Dr. Jan Leach (Colorado
State University) was the recipient of the 2020 Award of Distinction from
The American Phytopathological Society. This award, the highest honor APS can bestow,
is presented on rare occasions to persons who have made truly exceptional contributions
to plant pathology. Dr. Kamal
Kumar Malukani, a postdoc in the lab of Dr. Ramesh
V. Sonti at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad,
India, recently interviewed Dr. Leach to learn more about the qualities that one
needs to become a leader in the field of plant pathology.
1. Many scientists, especially those
early in their careers, find it difficult to manage a balance between their professional
and personal life. How do you manage it?
I don’t know that I did manage it particularly
well! My husband, also a plant pathologist, and I started our faculty positions
at the same time, so we were both going through the tenure and promotion process
together. We shared an understanding of the pressures and demands of our positions.
We respected and, very importantly, supported each other’s choices and challenges,
which really helped as we worked through the ranks. We joked that we often passed
each other in the door, one coming and one going, much of the early parts of our
careers. So, I would say understanding and respecting each other’s situation played
a big role.
2. Thinking back to the beginning of
your career, can you provide one or two things you wished you had known that might
have made starting your career easier?
As passionate scientists, we focus
our early training on getting deeper into the science. We are frequently very focused
on learning what is needed to support our research. But, unfortunately, we are often
not well-trained in how to manage people, which is a critical part of running a
successful lab. For me, it was “on-the-job” learning, and as a young faculty member
trying to build my program, it was a hard go. Fortunately, I found good mentors
to reach out to for sound advice. I still do that; more than 30 years of experience,
and I still reach out to mentors, some decades younger than me, for guidance on
how to handle tough people problems.
3. What do you believe is the biggest
question in the field of MPMI today, and why?
One of our biggest questions is how
we will identify and stabilize plant disease resistance in the face of a changing
climate. Adapting crops to withstand disease in the face of changing temperatures
and unpredictable weather patterns is not trivial. We have observed that some disease-resistance
genes lose efficacy with a few degrees of increase in temperatures. Other resistance
genes are more effective at high temperatures but may fail under drought conditions.
Successful crop production in the future will likely depend on more complex solutions,
discovered by studying the plant, pathogen, and environment as an interacting system
(phytobiome) and integrating more diverse options into our tool kits. Successful
translation of those solutions will likely require those of us in MPMI to work even
more closely with those nearer to the field and the growers, including breeders,
agronomists, and extension specialists.
4. You have been involved in a lot
of science, as well as the administrative side of work. How do you manage this transformation?
The secret is working with talented,
independent, and smart people who are patient with my split position. I have kept
my research program running because it is the candy in my job, i.e., the part of
the job where I am most comfortable and find the most joy. It also helps keep me
grounded in the issues and challenges faced by the faculty I serve as associate
dean for research. Balancing the two parts of the job is difficult, and I battle
the constant feeling that I am not doing either job very well. But, we all have
a limited time, and I try to give the best output in both parts with the help of
people around me.
5. What advice would you like to give
to emerging scientist that will help them in the long run?
Probably the best advice I received
as an assistant professor was “Choose your battles wisely!” In other words, consider
carefully if this is a cause or battle that is really important and worth investing
your time and energy. You only have so much energy and time…conserve them for the
important causes and issues.
