Emily received a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture and a master’s degree in Entomology at Colorado State University from the Department of Bioagricultural Sciences Pest Management in 2008 and 2012, respectively. Her master’s project focused on thousand cankers disease of black walnut; specifically, the interactions between the walnut twig beetle and fungus Geosmithia morbida.  Currently, she acts as Lab Manager for the Leach Lab and is concurrently pursuing a PhD in Plant Pathology.  Her duties as lab manager include management of undergraduate lab technicians, budgeting for projects, ordering lab supplies, maintenance of compliance for USDA regulated plant pathogens, coordination of lab meetings and events, website development and maintenance.

Her main research project focuses on understanding the complex multi-trophic interactions in the wheat phytobiome with a focus on wheat, the Russian wheat aphid, and aphid-associated bacteria. She also conducts research on the rice-Xanthomonas oryzae pathosystem with a focus on disease phenotyping and the role of a bacterial endophyte of rice, Pandoraea pnomenusa. You can follow her research on Google Scholar.