Bio

Dr. David McK. Bird is a Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology and former interim Director of the NC State Bioinformatics Research Center, as well as Director of the university’s Genomic Sciences Graduate Program. Born in the Riverland wine-producing district of Australia, he earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Adelaide in 1984, before spending three years studying C. elegans developmental genetics alongside Don Riddle in Columbia, Missouri. He joined the faculty of the University of California-Riverside before moving to NC State’s Department of Plant Pathology in 1995. A leader in his field, Dr. Bird was named the Stoll-Stunkard Memorial Lecturer by the American Society of Parasitologists in 1996 and was appointed William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in 2012. He has served in numerous influential roles, including Chair of the University Research Committee, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Nematology, and member of the Science Advisory Board of Divergence Inc.

Dr. Bird’s research focuses on the mechanisms underlying parasitic interactions between nematodes and plants, spanning nematode biology and development, genome organization and evolution, host-parasite interactions, and the evolution of parasitism. A pioneer in framing these questions within the context of nematode and host development, he and his collaborators have been instrumental in establishing the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne hapla as the preeminent genetic model for studying nematode-host interactions and as a platform for comparative genomics. His current program also extends to vaccine development for malaria-like diseases in cats and dogs.

Publications

• Toward genetic modification of plant-parasitic nematodes: delivery of macromolecules to adults and expression of exogenous mRNA in second stage juveniles , G3 Genes Genomes Genetics (2021)
• Bacterial Community Structure Dynamics in Meloidogyne incognita -Infected Roots and Its Role in Worm-Microbiome Interactions , mSphere (2020)
• Infection by cyst nematodes induces rapid remodelling of developing xylem vessels in wheat roots , Scientific Reports (2020)
• A Single, Shared Triploidy in Three Species of Parasitic Nematodes , G3 Genes Genomes Genetics (2019)
• Identification of Cytauxzoon felis antigens via protein microarray and assessment of expression library immunization against cytauxzoonosis , Clinical Proteomics (2018)
• Disparate gain and loss of parasitic abilities among nematode lineages , PLoS ONE (2017)
• Networks Underpinning Symbiosis Revealed Through Cross-Species eQTL Mapping , Genetics (2017)
• Genetic Drift, Not Life History or RNAi, Determine Long-Term Evolution of Transposable Elements , Genome Biology and Evolution (2016)
• Mitochondrial Genome Sequences and Structures Aid in the Resolution of Piroplasmida phylogeny , PLoS ONE (2016)
• PCR amplification of a multi-copy mitochondrial gene (cox3) improves detection of Cytauxzoon felis infection as compared to a ribosomal gene (18S) , Veterinary Parasitology (2016)