in 1920, as a result of her research into grain rusts while completing her undergraduate and master's degrees at macdonald college, she was offered a research position at the university of saskatchewan in saskatoon. she accepted, and from 1922 to 1925 was on faculty as an assistant professor in the department of biology, joining her former advisor w.p. fraser, among which duties was included teaching. during this time, she conducted her doctoral studies at the university of minnesota, where under the supervision of elvin c. stakman she completed her doctor of philosophy (ph.d.) in agricultural science in 1922 with the dissertation "studies in wheat stem rust (puccinia graminis tritici)". stakman had also been researching stem rust. she did this by spending six months in minnesota, then six months in saskatoon.