I first came to FABI in 2012. I am currently registered as a Postdoctoral Fellow under the supervision of Prof. Noëlani van den Berg in the Avocado Research Programme (ARP). The molecular basis of Persea americana (avocado) resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi is poorly understood, thus my work focuses on the NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 1 (NPR1) gene family in avocado. Since 2020 I have also been responsible for bioinformatics analyses within the ARP – to enrich my work on NPR1 and to aid in student projects – including dual RNA-sequencing analyses and genome sequencing. Our work has already identified interesting differences between partially resistant and susceptible rootstock cultivars - from the perspective of both the pathogen and avocado. It is our hope that by identifying and understanding the molecular pathways in avocado responsible for defence and stress responses that we will assist in the development of novel P. cinnamomi control strategies.