My research focuses on microbial ecology to elucidate how the adaptation of microorganisms to their habitats affects two seemingly conflicting impacts on the environment: their capacity to i) cause disease, and in particular newly emerging diseases and to ii) play beneficial roles in major environmental phenomena – the water cycle in particular. My research concerns primarily the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae but our team also studies a wide range of other bacterial and fungal pathogens of plants. Questions common to the models of our team include the nature of non-agricultural habitats of pathogens and their role in disease outbreaks, and tracking pathways of long distance dissemination via the atmosphere and waterway. Detail of my activities can be found on the website of a project I coordinate about modernizing surveillance for plant health and on my blog about the interaction of microorganisms with atmospheric processes. This work has led me to be involved in fostering understanding and adoption of the concept of One Health for the management of plant health.