Assistant Professor

Department of Food Science and Technology

Virginia Institute of Technology and State University

Office
205 Fralin Biotechnology Center (0346)
Blacksburg, VA  24061
Office: 540-231-5031
Fax: 540-231-9293

Laboratory
216 Fralin Biotechnology Center

mponder@vt.edu

Ponder lab in the News!

Research interests

Reservoir Ecology

Host-Pathogen Interactions

Microbial Ecology of Agricultural Commodities

Current Projects

Assessment of microbiological quality and safety of greenhouse produced crops using aquaculture wastewater

Characterization of the microbial ecology of spinach and lettuce

Comparison of the microbial diversity profiles of agricultural use water with source and season

Competitive exclusion assays of native spinach epiphytes in presence of E.coli 0157:H7 and serovars of Salmonella enterica

Characterization of virulence factors expressed in different serotypes of Salmonella enterica and E.coli 0157:H7 on epiphytic surfaces

Comparative hybridization of Salmonella enterica serotype Kentucky belonging to distinct pulsotype lineages

Characterizing the fecal microbiome of horses and the impact of non-structural carbohydrate composition (in collaboration with M. Shepherd and W. Swecker of VMRVC)

Effect of prebiotics and probiotics on survival and attachment of Salmonella enterica to porcine gastrointestinal cells

Effect of prebiotics and probiotics on survival and attachment of Salmonella enterica to porcine gastrointestinal cells

Effect of different production systems on the gastrointestional microbiota of cattle

Molecular epidemiology of shiga toxin producing E.coli in cattle reared in pasture production systems

Impact of land use on transmission of zoonotic pathogens between humans and wildlife - in collaboration with Kathleen Alexander, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech