Dr. Darcy Telenko is an associate professor and Extension Field Crop Pathologist with the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University. She has statewide responsibility for Plant Pathology research and Extension in agronomic crops. Her interdisciplinary plant pathology research and Extension program (https://indianafieldcroppathology.com/) is involved in studying the biology and management of soilborne and foliar pathogens. The program is focused on recognizing and understanding new diseases and their potential impact on Indiana agriculture, and quickly and effectively distributing information in the event of a disease threat to Indiana crop production.

Dr. Telenko is a native of western New York and received her BS in Biological Sciences at Cornell University, MS in Plant and Soil Science at Southern Illinois University, and PhD in Plant Pathology and Crop Sciences at North Carolina State University. Prior to Purdue, Dr. Telenko was an Extension Vegetable Specialist for the Cornell Vegetable Program at Cornell University, and was a post-doctoral researcher at both the University of Florida and Virginia Tech. She has published 47 peer-review manuscripts and over 150 Extension publications. Since starting at Purdue she has trained five graduate students (two are currently working toward PhD degrees in Plant Pathology), five visiting scholars, and 10 undergraduates in her research program.