Although my undergraduate experience with plant pathogens was limited, Colin (my Supervisor) convinced me that Rust was the field to be in. Who knew you could love opening a microclimate door to find a room filled with infected plants so much? I am also surprised at how much I have taken to the molecular work. I love the meticulousness of it and there is a huge satisfaction that comes from flicking on the UV light and seeing your PCR was successful, I hope it never wears off.

I am glad that I chose to do Agricultural Science as my undergraduate degree, I knew I liked science but the problem was I didn't know where to specialise. Ag introduced me to the plant sciences, my internship with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney introduced me to botany, taxonomy and systematics, and my PhD has shown me that I love molecular biology. I look forward to furthering my knowledge and skills in these fields and hope I am forever excited by my research.