Teresa Iturriaga

I am the curator at the Cornell University Plant Pathology Herbarium (CUP), School of Integrative Plant Science, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section.

I was born in Caracas, Venezuela and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Universidad Central de Venezuela and continued with both a master’s and PhD at Cornell University in Plant Pathology and Mycology. 

Back in Venezuela, I started working at the Venezuelan Botanical Garden in Caracas, and further at Universidad Simón Bolívar (USB) as an Assistant Professor. I worked my way to be a full Professor. There, I was the head of a Lab in Mycology, the Director of a fungal culture collection, the Curator of the plants and fungi collection, and the Director of the Science Museum at USB. I mentored around 100 students in the study of fungi and taught yearly the general botany course and three course on fungi, all with lectures and labs: Mycology (biology of fungi), Taxonomy of Fungi, and Advanced Mycology. 

I have taught many short courses and conducted field trips to increase the knowledge of the “Discomycetes” and other tropical groups of fungi in Latin American countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, among others.

My research focuses on the study fungi, with an emphasis in the biodiversity, systematics, and evolution of the Pezizomycotina. I gather morphological, molecular, and ecological data to understand the placement and role of fungi in their environment. Another of my interests is in the naming and classification of fungi, and as such, am a member of the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi. I am currently working on the systematics and ecology of post-fire dweller discomycetes and fungi from the Canary Islands. 

As the Curator of the Cornell University Plant Pathology Herbarium, I am responsible for the preservation, active loan exchange program, visitor’s program, outreach activities, and the databasing of 400,000 specimens from all around the world. I oversee 3-4 Herbarium student assistants, train them in herbarium techniques and mentor them in mycology.

Presently I contribute with the teaching of a Mycology course at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; at Cornell University -the Discomycetes- in PLPPM 4490 Mycology, and outreach lectures-labs at Cornell University for specific groups of fungi.

I belong to several international societies that deal with fungi. International Society for Fungal Conservation, International Mycological Association, Latin American Society for Mycology, Mycological Society of America and the Venezuelan Society of Mycology. 

I have published 150 publications in specialized journals, one books, three chapters in books, and many newspaper/magazines’ articles. I have given more than 300 presentations about my research in congresses. As well, I have organized and participated in 40 short courses in specific groups of ascomycetes.