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 finished her bachelor’s in Agricultural Science and Production at Zamorano University, a recognized agricultural university in Latin America. During her last year at Zamorano she had the opportunity to take a plant pathology class which left her with the desire to enforce her knowledge in this branch of agricultural science. Andrea is now a master’s student in the Entomology & Plant Pathology department and the focus of her research project is to get a better understanding of how plant pathogenic bacterial toxins functions and their influence on bacterial competition. In the future she looks forward to contributing to the Agricultural production of her country by helping to manage plant pathogenic diseases. In her free time Andrea likes to swim, she is a big fan of sunsets and taking pictures of nature.