POSITIONS HELD

2013-present Professor, Department of Horticulture & Crop Science, OSU/OARDC
2003-2013 Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture & Crop Science, OSU/OARDC
1999-2003 Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture & Crop Science, OSU/OARDC
1995-1999 Research Scientist, Department of Horticulture & Crop Science, OSU/OARDC
1991-1995 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Vegetable Crops, U. C. Davis
1985-1991 Gradaduate Research Assistant, Vegetable Crops, U. C. Davis
1984-1985 Research Technician, Pathology, USC, School of Medicine

AWARDS AND HONORS

2012 Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Innovator of the Year Award
2011 United States Department of Agriculture, Honor Award for Excellence
2010 Mid-America Food Processors Association H. D. Brown Food Processing Person of the Year Award. 
2006 Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center Distinguished Research Award.
2002 Mid-America Food Processors Association Tomato Achievement Award.
2002.Indiana Horticulture Society Red Tie Award for outstanding contributions

MAJOR RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research aims to define the genetic basis of field resistance, humid environment adaptation, and fruit quality, while contributing innovative strategies for crop improvement. The tomato breeding and genetics program has strengths in both the basic and applied sciences. Emphasis is placed on translating the results of plant genomics through the development of techniques for genetic mapping and selection in breeding populations. Individual projects stress multi-disciplinary approaches to breeding for disease resistance and end-product quality, understanding the genetic determinants of nutritional quality in tomato fruit, mechanisms of plant resistance to disease, population genetics of cultivated tomato, and the evolution of tomato and its wild relatives. We provide fundamental knowledge related to the genetic and molecular mechanisms that control disease resistance, tomato fruit quality, and the domestication of plants. Knowledge gained from these studies has directly resulted in the release of tomato varieties with improved disease resistance, enhanced processing quality, and enhanced nutritional value. Processing tomato hybrids and parents released by the program are used commercially and rank among the best in the Great Lakes industry for factory quality grade.

PROJECT FUNDING

Mid-America Food Processors Association
USDA/NIFA Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics
Ohio Plant Biotechnology Consortium