S. Patricia Stock

Dr. Stock earned her B.S. in Biology (emphasis in Zoology) and her Ph.D. in Natural Sciences at Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina, where she also obtained a teaching credential for Higher Education. She did her postdoctoral training at the Department of Nematology at the University of California, Davis, where she also held the position of assistant curator of the U.C. Davis Nematode Collection.

Dr. Stock served as Dean of the College of Agriculture at Chico State for 2 years. One of the key accomplishments under her leadership was the initiation and completion of a 5-year strategic plan for the college that was launched last August 2022. She also played a leading role in securing funding from the Governor’s office to support innovations at CSU Chico University Farm.  This funding supports the creation of the Agricultural Learning and Training Center (ALTC) at the University Farm which is currently underway.  Another major contribution under her leadership was the launching of the “Precision Ag Day at the Farm” that enabled the establishment of partnerships with climate-smart industries and the college.   Dr. Stock also secured funding for new scholarships for transfer students through the Bell Family Presidential Scholarships which is the highest student scholarship on campus.  Dr. Stock also established an international collaboration through a signed MOA with the Instituto Nacional de Investigacion Agricola (the leading agricultural research institution in Chile) to expand research and experiential learning opportunities for students, faculty, and staff.

Dr. Stock served as faculty member at the University of Arizona for 20 years both in the Department of Entomology and in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences (ACBS). From 2018 to August 2021, she served as the director of ACBS in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.  From 2017 to 2019, Dr. Stock served as Faculty Fellow of the Executive Council in the Graduate College. In this role, she led various initiatives including the development of training workshops for faculty mentors and graduate students. She also coordinated a grant program to fund initiatives across campus to reduce time to degree.

Research and Professional Interests

Dr. Stock is a trained nematologist, her research program focuses on the study of insect pathogens. Specifically, the focus is on entomopathogenic nematodes (aka EPN) Steinernema and Heterorhabditis spp. (Nematoda: Steinernematidae, Heterorhabditidae) and their bacterial symbionts Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus spp. (Enterobacteriaceae) which are successful alternatives for control of diverse insect pests.  These nematodes also represent an emerging model for the study of terrestrial animal-microbe interactions. Through her research and teaching, Dr. Stock pioneered and promoted research on entomopathogens as biological model systems. She successfully established a strong and well-funded international research program that spans from basic to applied science including the study of host-microbe interactions and fitness costs to the bioprospecting of microbial secondary metabolites for applications in the management of agricultural pests.  

Dr. Stock also devoted efforts to education including the development and teaching of large and small courses at a variety of educational levels. She has trained high school, undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students. She established an NSF-funded undergraduate summer on “Microbial Symbioses and Diversity” program dedicated to research training of community college students from underrepresented minorities at the University of Arizona.

Service to the College, University, and Community

As Dean of the College of Agriculture, Dr. Stock served on the Provost Academic Council for two years. She also served on the USFOT committee.

Since 2022, Dr. Stock serves as a member of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Advisory Board to the Governor. 

She also serves as a Founding Member, Visionary Steering Council, World Bioprotection Forum, Swansea, United Kingdom, and is a member and Ambassador of Women in Ag Tech, USA.

 Professional Affiliations

• Society of Nematologists
• Society for Invertebrate Pathology (Current President)
• Entomological Society of America
• Organization of Nematologists of Tropical America (Former President)
• International Symbiosis Society (Former Vice President of Education and Outreach)

 Scholarly Presentations

• Invited Presentations at International Conferences, Symposia, Workshops, Seminars: Total: 72 (43 international; 29 national).
• Contributed Presentations: Total: 121 (55 international; 66 national).

 Publications (Total: 124 peer-reviewed articles, 13 book chapters, 2 books; listed past 5 years)

1. Kusakabe, A., Molnár, I. and Stock, S.P., 2023. Photorhabdus-derived secondary metabolites reduce root infection by Meloidogyne incognita in cowpea. Plant Disease, https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-11-22-2574-SC.
2. Pothula, R., Lee, M.W. and Stock, S.P., 2023. Type 6 secretion system components hcp and vgrG support mutualistic partnership between Xenorhabdus bovienii symbiont and Steinernema jollietiJournal of Invertebrate Pathology, 198, p.107925.
3. Lefoulon, E., McMullen, J.G. and Stock, S.P., 2022. Transcriptomic analysis of Steinernema nematodes highlights metabolic costs associated to Xenorhabdus endosymbiont association and rearing conditions. Frontiers in Physiology, 13, p.821845.
4. Lefoulon, E., Campbell, N. and Stock, S.P., 2022. Identification of novel prophage regions in Xenorhabdus nematophila genome and gene expression analysis during phage-like particle induction. PeerJ, 10, p.e12956.
5. Kusakabe, A., Wang, C., Xu, Y.M., Molnár, I. and Stock, S.P., 2022. Selective Toxicity of Secondary Metabolites from the Entomopathogenic Bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens sonorensis against Selected Plant Parasitic Nematodes of the Tylenchina Suborder. Microbiology Spectrum, 10(1), pp.e02577-21.
6. Thappeta, K.R.V., Ciezki, K., Morales-Soto, N., Wesener, S., Goodrich-Blair, H., Stock, S.P. and Forst, S., 2020. R-type bacteriocins of Xenorhabdus bovienii determine the outcome of interspecies competition in a natural host environment. Microbiology, 166, 1074-1087.
7. Kochanowsky, R.M., Bradshaw, C., Forlastro, I. and Stock, S.P., 2020. Xenorhabdus bovienii strain jolietti uses a type 6 secretion system to kill closely related Xenorhabdus FEMS microbiology ecology, 96(8), p.fiaa073.
8. Grifaldo-Alcantara, P.F., Alatorre-Rosas, R., Silva-Rojas, H.V., Stock, S.P, Hernandez-Rosas, F., Vargas-Madriz, H., Azuara-Dominguez, A. and Durán-Trujillo, Y., 2020. Molecular and morphometric characterization of Heterorhabditis indica (strain cp13ja) isolated in the cultivation sugarcane. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems, 23: 1-10.
9. Stock, S.P., 2019. Partners in crime: symbiont-assisted resource acquisition in Steinernema entomopathogenic nematodes. Current opinion in insect science, 32, pp.22-27.
10. Peterson, B. F., J.C. Allen, R. Hoffman and Stock, S. P. Mild thermal stress affects survival but not protein content of Steinernema carpocapsae infective juvenile nematode. Journal of invertebrate Pathology 167, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2019.107251
11. Duong, D.A., Espinosa-Artiles, P., Orozco, R.A., Molnár, I. and Stock, S.P., 2019. Draft Genome Assembly of the Entomopathogenic Bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. sonorensis Caborca. Microbiology Resource Announcements, 8(36), pp.e00692-19.
12. Stock, S.P., Campos-Herrera, R., El-Borai, F.E. and Duncan, L.W., 2019. Steinernema khuongi sp. (Panagrolaimomorpha, Steinernematidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode species from Florida, USA. Journal of helminthology, 93(2), pp.226-241.
13. San-Blas, E., Campos-Herrera, R., Dolinski, C., Monteiro, C., Andaló, V., Leite, L.G., Rodríguez, M.G., Morales-Montero, P., Sáenz-Aponte, A., Cedano, C. and López-Nuñez, J.C., 2019. Entomopathogenic nematology in Latin America: A brief history, current research and future prospects. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 165: 22-45.
14. Kusakabe, A, Peterson, B. F., Rivera-Orduño, B and Stock, S. P. 2018. Ecological plasticity of Heterorhabditissonorensis (Caborca strain) (Nematoda: Heterorhabditidae), an entomopathogenic nematode from Mexico. Zoology 135, p.125689.
15. Norris, E. E., Stock, S. P., Castrillo, L. A., Williams, D. W., and Hajek, A. E. 2018. Characterisation of the dimorphic Deladenus beddingi sp. and its associated woodwasp and fungus. Nematology, 20:939-955.
16. McQuade, R. and Stock, S. P. S2018. Secretion Systems and Secreted Proteins in Gram-Negative Entomopathogenic Bacteria: Their Roles in Insect Virulence and Beyond. Insects 9(2): 68. doi:  3390/insects9020068.
17. Stock, S. P., Campos-Herrera, R, El-Borai, F. and Duncan L. 2018. Steinernema khuongi sp. (Panagrolaimomorpha, Steinernematidae) a new entomopathogenic nematode species from Florida, USA. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X18000081
18. Roder, A.C. and Stock, S.P., 2018. Influence of Xenorhabdus (Gamma-Proteobacteria: Enterobacteriaceae) symbionts on gonad postembryonic development in Steinernema (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) nematodes. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 153, pp.65-74.
19. Stock, S. P., Kusakabe, A and Orozco, R. 2017. Secondary metabolites produced by Heterorhabditis symbionts and their application in agriculture: what we know and what to do next. Journal of Nematology, 49: 373-383.

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