Ada Neupane is a PhD student working with population genetics of the invasive fungal pathogen Austropuccinia psidii. She recently obtained her M.S. in Plant Pathology from Colorado State University, where she researched how the soil microbial communities associated with Armillaria root disease respond to fire disturbance in western conifer forests. Ada is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and enjoys hiking, paddleboarding, cross-country skiing, and baking in her free time.