My research program focuses on the mechanisms that mediate geminivirus and plant chromosomal DNA replication. My group collaborates with scientists from Kenya and Tanzania to characterize the drivers of cassava begomovirus evolution and virus/plant interactions that enhance Cassava mosaic disease. I received my B.A. in Biochemistry, summa cum laude, from the University of California-Riverside, my M.Sc. degree in Biochemistry the University of Toronto, and my Ph.D. degree in Molecular Biology from the Rockefeller University. I then joined the research staff at Monsanto Company, where I began working on geminiviruses. I have been a member of the NCSU faculty for over 26 years, during which time, my research program has been continuously funded by grants from the NSF, USDA, Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, BARD, and corporate sponsors. I am a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.