Lily Cooper, an undergraduate student in the Department of Plant Sciences recently received two awards for her work as an undergraduate researcher. Lily received the 2026 Edward Neal Duncan Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research in the Herbert College of Agriculture and the Undergraduate Researcher of the Year Award from the Provost.

Lily won these awards for her research in plant pathology which focuses on two fungal pathogens of soybeans: Cercospora sojina (frogeye leaf spot) and Septoria glycines (Septoria brown spot). Specifically, her research aims to better understand their genetic diversity, pathogenicity, and evolutionary potential. Through her research Lily has conducted genome-level analyses, including genome assembly and annotation, as well as applied molecular and phenotypic approaches in her research.

Congratulations, Lily!

Are you a member of the Department of Plant Sciences and would like to be featured? If so, let us know by emailing Victoria Cavaliere at vcavalie@utk.edu.

By Victoria Cavaliere