Michael Wunsch has joined the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center as a plant pathologist.

He has a 70 percent research and 30 percent Extension Service appointment. The North Dakota Legislature created the position during the 2009 session.

Wunsch assumes leadership of the plant pathology program at the center. He will lead the research program that investigates a broad representation of diseases impacting crop diversity in North Dakota.

"His research and Extension programming will continue to represent the collaborations of Carrington Research Extension Center project leaders and plant pathologists at the Main Station, other Research Extension Centers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture," says Blaine Schatz, center director.

Wunsch recently completed his doctorate in plant pathology at Cornell University in New York. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology and a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

He is a native of Montana and spent time in the Peace Corps between his undergraduate and graduate education.