Dr. Lindsey Burbank is a research scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service at the San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier, California. Her current research program addresses detection, management and basic biology of plant-pathogenic bacteria in perennial specialty crops, with a primary focus on Xylella fastidiosa in grapevine and tree crop hosts.

She received her bachelor's degree in pathobiology from the University of Connecticut and her Ph.D. in plant pathology and microbiology from the University of California, Riverside.

Burbank has pursued research that uses molecular biology to understand fundamental aspects of bacterium-host interactions in the context of plant disease. This work includes investigation of bacterial stress responses, virulence mechanisms and host interactions. She also takes a particular interest in working with students in California's central valley to highlight the scientific side of agriculture and to develop our next generation of science professionals and leaders.