EDUCATION AND TRAINING
P.Doc 08-14 Plant Insect Interactions, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
Ph.D. 2008 Plant Breeding and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
M.S. 2005 Plant Breeding and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
B.S. 1999 Crop Protection, Zamorano, Panamerican Agricultural School, Honduras
Ass. 1997 Agronomy, Zamorano, Panamerican Agricultural School, Honduras
RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2014–Present Assistant Professor. Department of Horticultural Sciences. Texas A&M AgriLife, Weslaco, TX.
2000–2002 New Crops Researcher. National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (DICTA), Honduran Department of Agriculture (SAG), Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Wu, C., C.A Avila*, F.L. Goggin. 2014. The ethylene response factor Pti5 contributes to potato aphid resistance in tomato independent of ethylene signaling. Journal of Experimental Botany. doi: 10.1093/jxb/eru472 *Shared first authorship
Avila, C.A., L.M. Arévalo-Soliz, A. Lorence, and F.L. Goggin. 2013. Expression of α-DIOXYGENASE 1 in tomato and Arabidopsis contributes to plant defenses against aphids. Molecular Plant-Microbe interactions 26:977-986.
Avila, C.A., L.M. Arévalo-Soliz, L. Jia, D.A. Navarre, Z. Chen, G.A. Howe, Q.W. Meng, J.E. Smith, F.L. Goggin. 2012. Loss of function of FATTY ACID DESATURASE 7 in tomato enhances basal aphid resistance in a salicylate-dependent manner. Plant Physiology 158(4): 2028-2041.
Suza, W.P., C. A. Avila, K. Carruthers, S. Kulkarni, F.L. Goggin, and A. Lorence. 2010. Exploring the impact of wounding and jasmonates on ascorbate metabolism. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 48:337-350.
Goggin, F.L., C.A. Avila, and A. Lorence. 2010. Vitamin C content in plants is modified by insects and influences susceptibility to herbivory. BioEssays 32:777-790.
Avila, C.A. and J. McD. Stewart. 2007. Host Response to Reniform Nematode infection in resistant and susceptible Gossypium arboreum accessions. In: D.M. Oosterhuis (ed.). Summaries of Arkansas cotton research 2006. University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series 552:123-127. Fayetteville, Ark.
R. Pallipparambil, J. C. Reese, C. A. Avila, J.M. Louis and F. L. Goggin. 2009. Mi-mediated aphid resistance in tomato: tissue localization and impact on the feeding behavior of two potato aphid clones with differing levels of virulence. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. 135:295-307.