Breah LaSarre, research scientist in plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, is the recipient of the staff 2026 Outstanding Achievement in Research Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. Notable research achievements include contributions to the discovery of a novel survival strategy of plant-associated bacteria and technical advances in genomics and microbiome sciences.
In addition to substantially contributing to the understanding of bacteria in plant environments, LaSarre has been involved in developing and validating a new analytical tool aimed at supporting a broad community of microbiome researchers and generating a computational pipeline for the assembly of complex microbial genomes. She is a fierce advocate for rigorous, high-integrity science and actively works to advance excellence in mentoring and scientific training.
Breah is an exceptionally talented scientist whose accomplishments, support for colleagues, and promotion of scientific integrity and professional skills are making a lasting impact on both our department and the broader scientific community, stated a colleague.