Michael McKee is a M.S. student studying the drivers of ponderosa pine dieback and mortality in western forests. He is working with the Forest Service Evaluation Monitoring program to characterize ponderosa decline. He is also working on multiple virulence assays for needle and canker pathogens and a LAMP assay for Pine Wilt Nematode.

Michael is from Indiana and obtained a B.S. in Botany and Plant Pathology from Purdue University. During his time at Purdue, he worked as an undergraduate researcher for the USDA soybean breeding program. After graduation, he worked for AgReliant Genetics as a Research Associate in Plant Pathology studying diseases of corn.

In his free time, Michael enjoys hiking, fishing, exercising, and watching sports.