Michelle Heck

Associate Professor – Boyce Thompson Institute and Research Molecular Biologist

USDA Agricultural Research Services

Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section.

Michelle is an Associate Professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute and Research Molecular Biologist, USDA-ARS Robert W. Holley Center. 

She leads an active vector biology research group within BTI. Her program uses a combination of molecular, genetic, and proteomics approaches to understand how insects transmit plant pathogens and how pathogens manipulate host plants to ensure replication and transmission. A second area of research is the development of new pest management tools to enhance cultural control and to provide new management strategies for insect vector-borne diseases in plants.