I have a BS in Agronomy where I researched the impact of using shading nets as a method of reducing light stress in blueberries. For my PhD at UC Davis, I am studying genetic resistance  to stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) using a segregating biparental population. Wheat stripe rust is one of the most devastating wheat diseases and finding new sources of PST resistance is critical to maintain an effective resistance to wheat stripe rust in the future. My work will allow us to develop tightly linked molecular markers to QTL associated to stripe rust, enabling wheat breeders to accelerate the introduction of multiple sources of resistance into their breeding materials.