Research Interests & Expertise Legume Species, Food Security and Plant-Microbe Interactions For the past decade he has been a leading advocate for the application of basic legume science towards pressing agricultural needs in the developing world. His current research spans model and crop legume systems, with a dual focus on (1) forward genetics, biochemistry and cell biology to characterize genes governing symbiotic development in M. truncatula, and (2) ecological genomics and association genetics to understand gene function in complex natural and agricultural legume systems.