CV

18 January 2024

Petteri Karisto
Plant Health, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Jokioinen.
petteri.karisto@luke.fi

I am a researcher at Luke studying horticultural pathogens among other things. I was previously postdoc in Hanna Kokko’s group at University of Zürich. Before that, I finished my doctoral studies in the Plant Pathology Group of ETH Zürich. I have a B.Sc. degree in biology and M.Sc. in biomathematics from the University of Helsinki.

I am interested in theoretical ecology. I am working on the interface of theory and practice e.g. combining mathematical models to experimental studies for improved scientific output. Application of theoretical results into practice really inspires me.

Special skills

• Learning fast
• Lots of questions
• Lots of ideas
• Open sharing of ideas and plans

Education

• 2019, Dr. sc., Plant Pathology, ETH Zurich
• 2016, M.Sc., Biomathematics, University of Helsinki
• 2014, B.Sc., Eco-Evo, University of Helsinki

Research experience

• 8_2021 – present: Research scientist, Natural Resources Institute Finland.
• 8/2019 – 8/2021: Postdoc at University of Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Hanna Kokko
• 6/2016 – 7/2019: Doctoral student at ETH Zürich. Supervisors: Dr. Alexey Mikaberidze, Prof. Dr. Bruce McDonald.
• 6/2015 – 8/2015: Research internship at the University of Helsinki. Supervisor: Dr. Eva Kisdi.

Teaching and supervision experience

• 2017 – 2018 Supervised six and three months research projects of two master’s students.
• 2016 – 2018 Teaching in a practical course in plant pathology / microbiology. Three days course, three times. Additionally a one-day course once.
• 2016 – 2018 Lead a group of research assistants in projects related to the doctoral work. In total nine assistants, at maximum five at a time.
• 2014 Exercise instructor in an introductory course on linear algebra. Three months, 5h/week.

Peer-reviewd publications (Scholar profile; OA = Open Access;)

• 2023
  • Karisto P, Suffert F & Mikaberidze A. Spatially explicit ecological modeling improves empirical characterization of dispersal. Plant-Environment Interactions 4: 86–96. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10104.
• 2022
  • Karisto P, Suffert F & Mikaberidze A. Measuring Splash Dispersal of a Major Wheat Pathogen in the Field. PhytoFrontiers 2: 30–40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-05-21-0039-R.
  • Karisto P, Duplouy A, de Vries C & Kokko H. Positive fitness effects help explain the broad range of Wolbachia prevalences in natural populations. Peer Community Journal 2, e76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.202.
• 2021
  • Singh NK, Karisto P & Croll D. Population-level deep sequencing reveals the interplay of clonal and sexual reproduction in the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. Microbial genomics 7: 000678. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.000678.
  • Oggenfuss U, Badet T, Wicker T, Hartmann FE, Singh NK, Abraham LN, Karisto P, Vonlanthen T, Mundt CC, McDonald BA & Croll D 2020: A population-level invasion by transposable elements in a fungal pathogen, bioRxiv OA: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.11.944652.
• 2020
  • *Ben M’Barek S, *Karisto P, Fakhfakh M, Kouki H, Mikaberidze A & Yahyaoui A 2020. Improved control of Septoria tritici blotch in durum wheat using cultivar mixtures, Plant Pathology 69: 1655-1665. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.13247. OA: https://doi.org/10.1101/664078 *Joint first authors
• 2019
  • Anderegg J, Hund A, Karisto P, Mikaberidze A 2019. In-field detection and quantification of Septoria tritici blotch in diverse wheat germplasm using spectral-temporal features, Frontiers in Plant Science 10: 1355. DOI (OA): https://www.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.01355.
  • Karisto P, Dora S & Mikaberidze A 2019. Measurement of infection efficiency of a major wheat pathogen using time-resolved imaging of disease progress.  Plant Pathology 68: 163–172. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.12932. OA: https://doi.org/10.1101/318204.
  • Karisto P & Kisdi E 2019: Joint evolution of dispersal and connectivity, Evolution 73: 2529-2537. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13866. OA in October 2020: https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/publications/joint-evolution-of-dispersal-and-connectivity.
  • Yates S, Mikaberidze A, Krattinger SG, Abrouk M, Hund A, Yu K, Studer B, Fouche S, Meile L, Pereira D, Karisto P & McDonald BA 2019. Precision phenotyping reveals novel loci for quantitative resistance to septoria tritici blotch in European winter wheat. Plant Phenomics 2019: 3285904. DOI (OA): https://doi.org/10.34133/2019/3285904.
• 2018
  • Karisto P, Hund A, Yu K, Anderegg J, Walter A, Mascher F, McDonald BA & Mikaberidze A 2018. Ranking quantitative resistance to Septoria tritici blotch in elite wheat cultivars using automated image analysis. Phytopathology 108: 568–581. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-04-17-0163-R. OA: https://doi.org/10.1101/129353.
  • Yu K, Anderegg J, Mikaberidze A, Karisto P, Mascher F, McDonald BA, Walter A & Hund A 2018. Hyperspectral canopy sensing of wheat Septoria tritici blotch disease. Frontiers in Plant Science 9: 1195. DOI (OA): https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01195.
  • Karisto P & Kisdi E 2017. Evolution of dispersal under variable connectivity. Journal of Theoretical Biology 419: 52-65, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.11.007. OA: https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/kisdi/pdf/Karisto_Kisdi_2017_JTB_AuthorVersion.pdf.

Grants & Awards

• 2024. Horizon Europe grant from EU Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change to demonstrate climate resilience in forestry and agriculture.
• 2022- present. Research Grant from Maiju and Yrjö Rikala Horticurtural foundation (Maiju ja Yrjö Rikalan Puutarhasäätiö) to study alternative control of Pythium-disease in green houses.
• 2019. 5000 euros personal grant for supporting successful young scientists. Emil Aaltonen’s foundation.
• 2018. 5000 euros personal grant for doctoral candidate abroad. Jorma and Märtha Sihvola’s foundation.
• 2015. Grant of 1000 euros for undergraduate student for good study progress. The Mathematics and Science Fund, University of Helsinki.
• 2010. Bronze medal in the International Biology Olympiad.
• 2010. Bronze medal in the International Geography Olympiad.
• 2010. Stipend of 1000 euros for excellent performance (63–66/66 points) in mathematics in the matriculation examination of Finnish high schools. Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation.

Presentations

• INVITED: Still images and temporal dynamics in visible and invisible light. 13th Jean Chevaugeon Days, encounters of phytopahtology–mycology. September 12–16, 2022. Centre Paul-Langevin, French Society for Phytopathology.
• Improved control of Septoria tritici blotch in durum wheat using cultivar mixtures. ISCLB 2019 – International symposium on cereal leaf blights, May 22-24, 2019. University college Dublin.
• Spatial spread and infection efficiency of asexual spores of Z. tritici. Zymoseptoria tritici community meeting, September 6-7, 2018. ETH Zurich.
• Two types of resistance against Septoria tritici blotch. Invited talk at Regional Workshop on Current and future research on STB of Wheat, April 20–22, 2018. National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia.
• Two types of resistance against a major wheat disease Septoria Tritici Blotch. Biology18 – the annual Swiss conference on ecology, evolution, systematics and conservation, February 15–16, 2018. University of Neuchâtel.
• Epidemics of Zymoseptoria tritici – variation and control. Zymoseptoria tritici community meeting, September 5–6, 2017. Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel.
• Effects of global and local connectivity on the evolution of dispersal strategies. Biomathematics day, October 21, 2015. Centre of Excellence in Analysis and Dynamics Research, University of Helsinki.

Posters

• Karisto P, Suffer F, Mikaberidze A. Dispersal kernels are steeper than the observed gradients. ICPP2023, 20–25 August 2023, Lyon, France.
• Karisto P, Kisdi E. Joint evolution of dispersal and connectivity. ESEB2019, August 19–24 2019, Turku, Finland.
• Controlling a rapidly evolving plant pathogen – How to deal with the pathogen diversity? II Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology, August 19–22, 2018. Montpellier. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327071159_Controlling_a_rapidly_evolving_plant_pathogen_-_How_to_deal_with_the_pathogen_diversity
• Measuring resistance to Septoria tritici blotch in elite wheat cultivars using automated image analysis. BSPP – BMS Joint Presidential Meeting 2017 – Fungal Control and Exploitation, September 11–13, 2017. University of Nottingham.
• Two types of resistance against a major wheat disease. World Food System Center Research Symposium, October 25, 2017. ETH Zurich. http://www.worldfoodsystem.ethz.ch/outreach-and-events/past-events/symposium-2017.html
• Evolution of dispersal under variable connectivity. Mathematics of Life –conference, March 7-10, 2016. University of Helsinki.