Chris Taylor Dr. Chris Taylor received his Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry from Penn State University in 1989. He then moved to North Carolina State University to get his PhD degree in Genetics with an emphasis in the molecular biology of plant-nematode interactions. In 1995, he graduated and moved to St. Louis to work at Monsanto, first as a post-doctoral researcher in the potato research program and then as a senior research scientist studying nematode resistance genes in plants. During his stay at Monsanto, Chris taught plant tissue culture and biotechnology at Washington University’s University College Program. In 1999, Chris left Monsanto to join Akkadix, a small start-up company in San Diego, California. As a senior scientist and group leader, Chris oversaw the research of a large group of researchers developing novel methods of nematode control. In 2001, Chris moved his research program back to St. Louis to join the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (DDPSC) as a Principal Investigator. Chris is also an adjunct professor with the Plant Sciences Division at University of Missouri-Columbia and with the Department of Biology at University of Missouri-St. Louis. Chris’s current research program examines the mechanisms by which disease-causing organisms interact with plant roots and the methods for their control.