Dr. Punya Nachappa, Wild wild west: Emerging viruses and viroid communities of hemp

April 2022

Dr. Punya Nachappa received her M.S. in Entomology from University of Georgia, and Ph.D. in Entomology from Kansas State University. After completing her Ph.D., Dr. Nachappa held positions as a post-doctoral associate at Kansas State University and Texas A&M University. Prior to joining Colorado State University (CSU), she was an Associate Professor at Purdue University Fort Wayne. As an Associate Professor at CSU, the Nachappa Lab’s research focuses on understanding the interaction between plants, pathogens, and insect vectors in cropping systems that are of importance to Colorado agriculture, including hemp plants. Topics of interest include studying the biology and pest management options of some key pests of hemp such as the hemp russet mite and cannabis aphid and the ecology and epidemiology of the beet curly top virus (BCTV) and beet leafhopper in hemp. The lab is using hemp viral metagenomics to characterize the diversity of viruses/viroids in hemp.

Dr. Punya Nachappa, Wild wild west: Emerging viruses and viroid communities of hemp

Previous Webinars

Jacob MacWilliams, Ph.D.

May 20, 2026 11:00AM MDT

Unlocking the mystery of a key hemp pest, cannabis aphid

Dr. Jacob MacWilliams is a research scientist in Dr. Punya Nachappa’s lab in the Agricultural Biology Department at Colorado State University. Jacob received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, Riverside focusing on cowpea aphid resistance in […]

Read More »

Shanna Bablonis, Ph.D.

Cannabis and Opioid Interactions: Human Laboratory Studies and Clinical Implications

May 14, 2026 1:00PM MDT

Shanna Babalonis, PhD is an associate professor in the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Medicine Department of Behavioral Science and Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. Her NIH-funded research focuses on clinical trials and human laboratory assessments of the abuse potential, […]

Read More »

Michael Petersen

Apr 15, 2026 11:00 AM Mountain Time

Trait Modifications in Cannabis Through Engineering and Editing

Michael Petersen has over 40 years of experience as a researcher and mentor in the plant biotech space. He worked for 10 years at Agracetus, a small startup in Wisconsin and then 20 years as a Senior Fellow with Monsanto. Mike stayed […]

Read More »

Francesca Filbey, PhD

Apr 9, 2026 01:00 PM Mountain Time

Understanding Cannabis Use Disorder Through Neuroimaging and Behavior

Francesca Filbey is a Professor and Director of the NeuroImaging of Reward Dynamics Laboratory at the Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas, and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Texas […]

Read More »

Travis Higginbotham

March 25 at 11:00 AM (MDT)

Turning Science into Cash Flow. Crop production performance and ROI analysis driven by crop science.25

Travis Higginbitham is the Founder & CEO of Due Diligence Horticulture (DDH). He is a horticultural and operations executive with deep experience leading controlled-environment agriculture, cannabis, and ornamental production businesses through innovation, growth, transition, and turnaround. Mr. […]

Read More »

Dr. Yan Wang

12 March, 1:00 PM MST

Real-time and long-term effects of medical marijuana on older adults with chronic pain: Early findings from a prospective cohort study.

 

Yan Wang is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Florida (UF). Her research interests focus on leveraging advanced technologies and methods (e.g., wearable sensors, ecological momentary assessment/EMA) to improve […]

Read More »