Olivia C. Haley

Postdoctoral Research Fellow @Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

Ames, IA, US

Fungal plant pathogens pose a major threat to food security, with species like Fusarium graminearum and Aspergillus flavus producing mycotoxins that endanger human and animal health. As a postdoctoral researcher with the USDA-ARS, I develop machine learning-driven pipelines to accelerate protein functional annotation and design in grain crops.My research centers on leveraging AI and protein modeling to uncover ways to reduce mycotoxin contamination. I’ve contributed to the development of user-facing tools, curated datasets, and reproducible workflows that support scientific progress in microbial control strategies and agricultural system sciences.Key Deliverables-🧬 Developed a pipeline to predict cross-kingdom protein-protein interactions, identifying plant proteins with potential to inhibit fungal growth and mycotoxin biosynthesis.(https://doi.org/10.1101/20••••••••23) Assisted in developing a framework for comparing fungal virulence proteins, supporting long-term goals in crop resistance breeding.(https://fusarium.maizegdb.org)🧪 Contributed to data curation efforts identifying antimicrobial candidate proteins in grain crops. Led and contributed to USDA-wide computational biology workshops, building internal capacity in protein modeling and machine learning tools.

Kansas State University

Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

Irmo High School

High School Diploma

University of South Carolina

Bachelor's degree

McGill University - Macdonald Campus

Master’s Degree

Université de Haute-Alsace Mulhouse-Colmar

Study Abroad