Dr. Sarah Hambleton

Research Scientist, Mycologist

Areas of Expertise:
• Systematic studies of rust and smut fungi on crop and weed hosts to improve identification systems and add to biodiversity records
• Development of DNA sequence databases for rust and smut fungi from new collections and from herbarium specimens
• Identifcation of species-specific molecular markers
• Rapid detection and monitoring of high risk plant pathogenic fungi

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

K. W. Neatby Building, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Current research and/or projects

Fungal and Bacterial Biosystematics - bridging taxonomy and “omics” technology in agricultural research and regulation; J-002272; Project lead(s): Sarah Hambleton, Hai Nguyen; Budgets: $2,495,000; Duration 2019/04/01 – 2024/03/31; Proposal stream: STB Annual Call for RDT Proposal
Agropathogenic fungi in omics big data; J-002216; Project lead(s): Wen Chen; Budgets: $296,000; Duration 2019/04/01 – 2022/03/31; Proposal stream: STB Annual Call for RDT Proposal

Key publications

Liu M, Braun U, Takamatsu S, Hambleton S, Shoukouhi P, Bisson KR, Hubbard K. (2021). Taxonomic revision of Blumeria based on multi-gene DNA sequences, host preferences and morphology. MycoScience doi: 10.47371/mycosci.2020.12.003
2021 - View publication details
Hambleton, S., Liu, M., Eggertson, Q., Wilson, S., Carey, J., Anikster, Y., Kolmer, Y.A.J.A. (2020). Crown rust fungi with short lifecycles-the puccinia mesnieriana species complex. Sydowia, [online] 71 47-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.12905/0380.sydowia71-2019-0047
2020 - View publication details
Nguyen HDT, Grunwald NJ, Abad ZG, Martin FN, Crouch J, Hambleton S, Dettman J, Liu M, Harris LJ, Castlebury L, Salagado-Salazar C, Cowger C, Ellouz O, Mollov D, Fall ML, Ling K, Griffifths J, Mahaffee W, Chen W, Sultata T, Yu Q, Carta LK, Skantar AM, Tambong J, Rogers E, Li S, Dumonceaux TJ, Widmer TL. The 2019 AAFC-USDA meeting on genotyping and monitoring of high-risk plant pathogens.
2019 - View publication details
Tremblay, É. D., D. Shearlaw, H. D. T. Nguyen, G. J. Bilodeau and S. Hambleton. 2019. Laboratory testing of qPCR assays designed in silico reveal promising results to rapidly identify phytopathogenic Tilletia species. In Plant Canada 2019 meeting. July 7-10 2019, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. (Poster).
2019 - View publication details
Hambleton S., Liu M., Eggertson Q., Wilson S., Carey J., Anikster Y., Kolmer J. 2019. Crown rust fungi with short lifecycles – the Puccinia mesnieriana species complex. Sydowia 71:47-63
2019 - View publication details
Barnes C. W., Hambleton S., Ordonez M. E., Fetch T. G., Chaves M., Martinelli J., da Silva G., Bordignon S., Campos P., Gandullo R., Madariaga R., Azzimonti G., and German S. 2018. Phylogenetic analysis of South American Berberis species and their related rust fungi. (Abstr.)
Phytopathology 108:S1.1. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-108-10-S1.87.
2018 - View publication details
M. Liu, S. Hambleton, Y. Anikster, And J. Kolmer 2019. Gene flow as a character in polyphasic classification of phytopathogenic fungi: a case study in wheat leaf rust species complex. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 41(1): 155
2018 - View publication details
Chen, W., Hambleton, S., Seifert, K.A., Carisse, O., Diarra, M.S., Peters, R.D., Lowe, C., Chapados, J.T., Lévesque, C.A. (2018). Assessing performance of spore samplers in monitoring aeromycobiota and fungal plant pathogen diversity in Canada. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, [online] 84(9), http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02601-17
2018 - View publication details
Fetch T, Hambleton S, Chaves M, Martinelli J, Da Silva G, Bordignon S, Campos P, Madariaga R, Barnes C, Ordóñez M, Azzimonti G, Germán S. 2017. Collection and characterization of species of Berberis in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay. Annual Meeting, The Canadian Phytopathological Society, 2017 / Réunion annuelle, la société canadienne de phytopathologie, 2017. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 39(4):555. DOI 10.1080/07060661.2017.1386378
2017 - View publication details
Demers, J.E., Liu, M., Hambleton, S., Castlebury, L.A. (2017). Rust fungi on panicum. Mycologia, [online] 109(1), 1-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00275514.2016.1262656
2017 - View publication details
Chen W, Hambleton S, Seifert KA, Lévesque CA, Carisse O, Moussa SD, Peters RD, Lowe C, Chapados JT. 2017. Assessing performance of spore samplers in monitoring and forecasting aeromycobiota diversity and fungal plant pathogen distribution patterns. Applied and Environmental Microbiology Submitted, under peer review.
2017 - View publication details
Hambleton, S., Eggertson, Q., Wilson, S., Redhead, S.A., and Lévesque, C.A. (2016). "DNA-barcoding the rusts – sampling herbarium specimens in the National Mycological Herbarium (DAOM).", Canadian Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting, Delta Beausejour, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, June 12-15, 2016. (Abstract and Poster)
2016 - View publication details
Hambleton, S., Eggertson, Q., Lévesque, C.A. Chen, W., Barasubiye, T., Redhead, S.A., and Liu, M. (2016). " DNA-barcoding the Powdery Mildews – sampling herbarium specimens in the National Mycological Herbarium (DAOM).", Canadian Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting, Delta Beausejour, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, June 12-15, 2016. (Poster)
2016 - View publication details
Chen, W., C. Visagie, M. Liu, K. Seifert, T. Graefenhan, S. Hambleton and C. A. Levesque (2016). Geographic atlas of mycotoxigenic fungi through metagenomic surveys of DNA barcodes using a novel taxonomic classification approach. 2016 Canadian Phytopathological Society (CPS) annual meeting, June 12-15, 2016, Moncton, New Brunswick.
2016 - View publication details
Chen, W., Redhead, S.A., Seifert, K.A., Xiong, K., Hambleton, S., and Lévesque, C.A. (2015). "Fungal pathogen surveillance using metagenomics approach requires one fungus one name.", XVIII International Plant Protection Congress (IPPC), Free University Berlin, Henry Ford Building, Berlin, Germany, August 24-27, 2015.
2015 - View publication details
Lowe, C., Zahariev, M., Liu, M., Hambleton, S., Seifert, K.A., Lévesque, C.A., and Chen, W. (2015). "Computational pipeline to improve detection accuracy of plant pathogens from NGS datasets using signature oligonucleotides.", American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting, Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, CA, USA, August 1-5, 2015. (Poster)
2015 - View publication details
Hambleton, S., Eggertson, Q.A., and Liu, M. (2015). "The rust pathogens of Rubus in Canada – identification, nomenclature and DNA-barcoding.", Botany 2015, Shaw Convention Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 25-29, 2015.
2015 - View publication details
Chen, W., Hambleton, S., and Lévesque, C.A. (2015). "Environmental metagenomics for plant pathogen surveillance: the promise and the practice.", Invited Oral Presentation at Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, September 30, 2015. (Presentation)
2015 - View publication details
Lévesque, C.A., Chen, W., Hambleton, S., Seifert, K.A., and Graefenhan, T. (2015). "Environmental Sequencing – A New Frontier for Species Identification.", The First National Science Day of the Science and Technology Branch of AAFC, Horticulture Research and Development Centre (HRDC), St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, Canada, July 9, 2015. (Presentation)
2015 - View publication details
Lévesque, C.A., Chen, W., Hambleton, S., Seifert, K.A., Adam, Z., Bilodeau, G.J., Cullis, J., Demeke, T., Dumonceaux, T.J., Gagnon, M., Graefenhan, T., Kawchuk, L.M., Khan, I.U.H., Lewis, C.T., Li, X., Links, M.G., Mimee, B., Rott, M., Tambong, J.T., Topp, E., Yu, Q., and Yuan, K. (2015). Project CRTI 09-462RD - Next generation sequencing, direct detection and genotyping of fungi, bacteria and nematodes in the agri-food system. DRDC-RDDC-2015-C148. Final Close-Out Report. (Report)
2015 - View publication details