Andrea’s interests are focused on agricultural sustainability, she strongly believes that plant pathology is the one agricultural field that attempts to assure food security by reducing food waste. She developed an interest in microbiology and disease management when she did her internship at NC State University in a poultry disease lab, where she performed research focused on molecular diagnostics and treatment strategies for bacterial and to protozoal disease infections in poultry.

Andrea is from Guayaquil, Ecuador. She completed her bachelor’s degree in agriculture
engineering at Zamorano University. She is currently a master’s student in the department of
Entomology and Plant Pathology, and her research focuses on building a deeper understanding
of how polymorphic toxins function in plant pathogenic bacteria. Andrea is interested in
agricultural sustainability and detecting novel methodologies to reduce food loss and waste
caused by bacterial diseases. During her internship at NC State University in a poultry disease
lab, where she worked on molecular diagnostics and treatment strategies for bacterial and
protozoal infections in poultry, she became interested in microbiology and disease
management, which inspired her to pursue a scientific career. In her free time, Andrea likes to
swim, paint and spend time with her friends.