Biography

Plant pathogens persistence in the soil can lead to disease outbreaks occurring year after year if left unmanaged. This can increase production costs and force farmers to rotate to less profitable crops. A warming climate can also increase the overwintering survival of several plant pathogens. Even moderate increase in temperatures can exacerbate infection rates and disease severity in the field. As a translational vegetable pathologist, I employ diverse tools including genomics, bioinformatics, and population genetics to answer scientific questions and translate findings into solutions for vegetable farmers. I recently earned a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from NC State University working in the Vegetable Pathology Lab.