Gopi K. Podila (September 14, 1957[1] – February 12, 2010) was an Indian–American biologist who served as a professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
[2] Podila was chairperson of the university's department of biological sciences, with a particular interest in the ecology of Populus and their mycorrhizal symbionts.
He listed his research interests as "engineering tree biomass for bioenergy, functional genomics of plant-microbe interactions, plant molecular biology and biotechnology".
He has advocated prospective use of fast growing trees and grasses as an alternative to corn sources for producing ethanol.
On February 12, 2010, Amy Bishop, a faculty member in Podila's department, drew a handgun during a staff meeting and shot six people.