Will Rutter
Rev. 07/29/2025
Dr.
Will Rutter is a Professor
of Nematology at Kansas State University.
He
received his bachelor’s in biology and Biochemistry from Knox College in 2008,
and his Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Pathology with Dr. Thomas Baum at Iowa State
University in 2013.
Will was the Molecular Biology Teaching Lab Coordinator at Iowa State University for one year, before taking a Postdoc position with Dr. Eduard Akhunov at Kansas State University.
From 2017 to 2025, Will was a Research Plant Pathologist with the USDA-ARS US Vegetable Lab in Charleston, SC. At the US Vegetable Lab, Will has become a prominent authority on the Guava Root-Knot nematode, a major nematode threat throughout the southeast US. He has pioneered a new detection method for Root-Knot nematodes that utilizes large batches of sweetpotato, rather than single nematodes isolated from storage roots, to increase detection sensitivity. Much of Will’s research at USDA has focused on vegetable crop resistance breeding to nematodes, in collaboration with breeders at the US Vegetable Lab and Breeding Insight, with a focus on crops like cucurbits, sweetpotatoes, and peppers. He has successfully released nematode resistant lines in sweet cherry-type peppers, sweetpotatoes, and identified resistance genes in watermelon.
Dr. Rutterl has piloted the development of NemaQuant, a program that uses machine learning to count nematode eggs in microscope images that will further speed up root-knot nematode breeding programs across all commodity crops. He has also done foundational work in nematode effector biology; discovering over 17 different effectors that are secreted into plant cells by the Southern Root-Knot nematode.
In addition to his wide-ranging research efforts, Will has made efforts to educate the public on the importance of nematodes and agricultural research. He has been interviewed on several news outlets, and has also been active in engaging in and training the next generation of nematologists. He has supervised one master’s student and 5 PostDocs, three of which now have permanent positions with USDA-ARS as nematologists.
Will
Rutter
has made a strong effort to serve the
wider nematology community; chairing the nematology committee of the American
Phytopathological Society, serving on several Society of Nematologist committees
and as an Executive Board member at large, along with being chair of the
Southeast Nematology Working Group. Will’s comprehensive research program,
tackling plant-parasitic nematodes through the understanding of host and
nematode biology has resulted in > 20 peer-reviewed publications and > $14
million in grant funding. His
forward thinking and stakeholder driven approach to nematology research, have
made him into an innovative researcher and leading nematologist of the future.
Dr. Will Rutter was recipient of the Syngenta Crop Protection Award of the Society of Nematologists in 2025.