Dr. Melotto completed her Ph.D. in plant breeding and genetics at Michigan State University before joining the UC Davis faculty in 2014. Her research is focused on understanding the close interaction between plants and pathogens at the molecular level. Her work aims to determine the physiological changes that happen in both the plant and the pathogen when they come into contact. Specifically to understand how the plant immune system works to fight against pathogen infection and how pathogens employ virulence strategies to overcome plant defenses. This line of research is critical for the development of environmentally sound methods to minimize the impact of diseases and economic losses in agriculture worldwide, and to reduce food contamination with human pathogens in crops such as leafy vegetables.