Dr. Mohammad Arif

Associate Professor

Dr. Arif, a phytobacteriologist with a specialization in phylogenetics, bacterial evolution, interactions, molecular diagnostics/microbial forensics, and the microbiomes.

Dr. Arif has a strong passion for mentoring, providing comprehensive support that spans both professional and personal growth to foster the development of early-career individuals. He places immense importance on the connections he has with his mentors, recognizing that they have significantly enhanced his professional journey, and consequently, he is committed to paying forward similar experiences to help others.

Educational Background:

Ph.D. Biosciences

M.S. Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

B.S. Agriculture

P.G. Diploma in Bioinformatics

Skills and Expertise

Phytobacteriology

Population Genetics

Bacterial Genomics and Evolution

Host-bacterial Interactions

Microbial Forensics and Molecular Diagnostics

Key Publications

Arizala D, Arif M (2024). Impact of homologous recombination on core genome evolution and host adaptation of Pectobacterium parmentieri. Genome Biology & Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evae032

Klair D, Dobhal S, Ahmad A, Hassan ZU, Uyeda J, Silva J, Wang KH, Kim S, Alvarez AM, Arif M (2023). Exploring taxonomic and functional microbiome of Hawaiian stream and spring irrigation water systems using Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing platforms. Frontiers in Microbiology. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1039292 (P rint available here)

Arif M, Czajkowski R, Chapman T (2022). Editorial: Genome-wide analyses of Pectobacterium and Dickeya species. Frontiers in Plant Science. doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.855262.

Arizala D, Dobhal S, Alvarez AM, Arif M (2022). Elevation of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. californiensis to species level as Clavibacter californiensis sp. nov., merging and re-classification of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. chilensis and Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. phaseoli as Clavibacter phaseoli sp. nov. based on complete genome in silico analyses. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 72(9), doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.005427 (Print available here)

Boluk G, Arizala D, Dobhal S, Zhang J, Hu J, Alvarez AM, Arif M (2021). Genomic and phenotypic biology of novel strains of Dickeya zeae isolated from pineapple and taro in Hawaii: insights into genome plasticity, pathogenicity, and virulence determinants. Frontiers in Plant Science. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.663851

Domingo R, Perez C, Klair D, Vu H, Candelaria-Tochiki A, Wang X, Camson A, Uy JN, Salameh M, Arizala D, Dobhal S, Boluk G, Bingham JP, Ochoa-Corona F, Ali ME, Stack JP, Fletcher J, Odani J, Jenkins D, Alvarez AM, Arif M (2021). Genome-informed loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for specific detection of Pectobacterium parmentieri in infected potato tissues and soil. Scientific Reports, 11, 21948. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01196-4