Dr. Michael J. (Mike) Boehm is a plant pathologist, educator, and higher-education leader whose career bridges plant–microbe science, national service, and land-grant innovation. His work explores how plants and their associated microbes detect, process, and communicate environmental and chemical signals—advancing both fundamental biology and applied agricultural resilience.

A U.S. Army and Navy veteran, Mike was recalled to active duty following the 2001 anthrax attacks and served as Operations Officer at the Navy’s Biological Defense Research Directorate, where he helped establish the service’s first real-time biowarfare detection capability. His leadership earned the Meritorious Service Medal for contributions that “directly and positively influenced the Department of Defense biological-warfare detection capability.”

From 2017 to 2025, he served as Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources for the University of Nebraska System and Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, leading a $250 million research and engagement enterprise and securing more than $70 million in federal appropriations to strengthen national biosecurity infrastructure.

Previously, at The Ohio State University, he chaired the Department of Plant Pathology and later served as Vice Provost for Academic and Strategic Planning, directing the $550 million Discovery Themes Initiative in food security, sustainability, and human health.

A Fellow and Past President of the American Phytopathological Society, Mike has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed papers, 70 technical publications, and holds multiple U.S. and international patents on biologically based disease-control technologies.

Research 

Mike’s laboratory integrates plant pathology, microbial ecology, and biological control to investigate host–pathogen interactions and the molecular basis of plant sensing. His current federally supported work examines plants as biosensors, linking molecular (transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic) and spectral (RGB, fluorescence, thermal, hyperspectral) data to understand how plants perceive and respond to environmental and chemical cues.

This systems-level approach builds on earlier contributions in compost-mediated disease suppression, biological control of Fusarium head blight, and turfgrass fungal genomics, combining discovery science with practical applications that improve plant health management and environmental stewardship.

Mike also serves as a consultant for the National Strategic Research Institute, focusing on food, agriculture, and environmental security.

Listen: Plantopia: Good Fellows Part II — Dr. Boehm discusses his APS Fellowship, leadership in academia, and the importance of service, outreach, and mentoring.

Teaching & Mentorship

Equally at home in the classroom and the field, Mike has championed experiential, student-centered learning for more than three decades. He teaches courses in Biosecurity & Bioterrorism, Biological Control, and Turfgrass Disease Management, connecting scientific discovery with leadership, ethics, and service.

His teaching excellence has been recognized nationally with the USDA–APLU National Teaching Award, the APS Distinguished Teaching Award, and The Ohio State University Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching—the institution’s highest faculty honor.

A first-generation college student from Ohio, Mike believes that higher education’s greatest power lies in lifting others—helping every student discover their own capacity for impact. He and his partner, Connie, have been married for 35 years and enjoy camping, gardening, disc golf, and time with family and friends.

Selected Publications

Plant Sensing and Systems Integration

• Orshinsky, A.M., et al. (2012). “RNA-Seq analysis of the Sclerotinia homoeocarpa–creeping bentgrass pathosystem.” PLoS ONE, 7(8): e41150.
• Venu, R.C., et al. (2010). “Deep and comparative transcriptome analysis of rice plants infested by beet armyworm and water weevil insects.” Rice 3: 22–30.
• Crouch, J.A., et al. (2021). “Genome resources for fungal isolates causing dollar spot disease in turfgrass (Clarireedia spp.).” Plant Disease 105: 691–694.

Biological Control and Microbial Ecology

• Schisler, D.A., et al. (2015). “Reduction of Fusarium head blight using prothioconazole and fungicide-tolerant variants of Cryptococcus flavescens OH 182.9.” Biological Control 86: 36–45.
• Khan, N.I., et al. (2004). “Field testing of antagonists of Fusarium head blight incited by Gibberella zeae.” Biological Control 29: 245–255.
• Hoitink, H.A.J., & Boehm, M.J. (1999). “Biological control agent efficacy in the context of indigenous microbial communities.” Annual Review of Phytopathology 37: 427–446.

Turfgrass Pathology and Integrated Management

• Salgado-Salazar, C., et al. (2018). “Clarireedia: a new fungal genus responsible for dollar spot disease of turfgrass.” Fungal Biology 122: 761–773.
• Jo, Y.K., et al. (2006). “Fungicide sensitivity of Sclerotinia homoeocarpa from golf courses in Ohio.” Plant Disease 90: 807–813.
• Venu, R.C., Beaulieu, R.A., Graham, T.L., Medina, A.M., & Boehm, M.J. (2009). “Dollar spot fungus Sclerotinia homoeocarpa produces oxalic acid.” International Turfgrass Society Research Journal 11: 263–270.

Education and Engagement

• Ellis, S.D., & Boehm, M.J. (2009). “Plants Get Sick Too! Plant Diseases Idea Starter.” The Plant Health Instructor.
• Williams, S.D., and Boehm, M.J. (2017). OSU Extension Factsheet PLPATH-GEN-1: Plants Get Sick Too! An Introduction to Plant Diseases