Radhika Bartaula, from Nepal, is a plant geneticist pursuing her PhD at the University of New Hampshire under Iago Hale. In research supported by the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat and Delivering Genetic Gain in Wheat projects, she is working to unravel the genetic mechanism resistant to the wheat stem rust pathogen in barberry, the pathogen’s sexual host. This project integrates her two main research interests, namely: 1) Developing durable disease resistance strategies based on an improved understanding of host-pathogen interactions, and 2) Improving a staple crop by utilizing genetic diversity beyond traditional primary or secondary gene pools.