What brought you to UGA? Beyond UGA’s excellent reputation in plant sciences, I was particularly drawn to the university’s longstanding connection to local agriculture and the amount of research being done on crops important to farmers and consumers in the state of Georgia. The interdisciplinary nature of the Plant Center and the ability to rotate in several departments through IPS was also very exciting.
What are your research/study interests? Broadly speaking, I am interested in crop improvement through molecular breeding and biotechnology. In the Wild Peanut Lab, my research involves both breeding peanut lines with improved disease resistance, and helping to develop resources for the peanut breeding community through basic genomic research.
What has been a benefit of being part of IPS?/How did it help you select your program? Being a part of IPS was hugely helpful! My research interests are represented in labs across the plant biology, genetics, plant breeding, and horticulture departments, and being able to rotate among them was an opportunity unique to IPS that made me confident I would find a home lab that’s an excellent fit for me. My semester doing rotations also served as a useful refresher in various lab techniques, and was a good introduction to UGA beyond my home department.
What are your career goals? Whether in industry or academia, my goal is to work towards a more secure and resilient global food supply.
Who is your major professor? Dr. David Bertioli