I am a plant geneticist interested in the myriad interactions between plants and humans.
My professional interests lie at the intersection of plant and human interactions. Plants interact with humans in an incredible variety of ways, including as food, fuel, culture, and environment. I am interested in understanding those relationships going back to the dawn of agriculture and drawing on that knowledge to improve human wellbeing. Plant genetics promises to be among the most powerful tools in the coming years to advance our knowledge in this area, along with mathematical modeling and data from a wide variety of disciplines. More than ever, scientific research requires the ability of scientists to assimilate and apply disparate strands of evidence to understand complex phenomena.