Caterina is an Associate Professor in Forest Pathology at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. Her main interests are the interactions among trees, fungal pathogens and insect herbivores, and related chemical ecology aspects, and she uses an interdisciplinary approach that involves ecological, metabolomic, and molecular analyses. In the course of her career, she has developed skills that range from chromatography to mass spectrometry, the use of vibrational spectroscopy for the rapid identification of resistant trees, and innovative molecular diagnostic tools such as LAMP (loop mediated isothermal amplification). Caterina has a B.S in Forestry, a M.S. in Plant Health Sciences and Technologies from the University of Florence (Italy), a Ph.D. in Crop Science, Plant Protection Curriculum from the University of Padua (Italy), and postdoctoral work experience at the Ohio State University.

Website: https://warnell.uga.edu/about/centers-labs/villari-forest-pathology-lab