Padma is a Plant Pathologist at Syngenta Seeds, Woodland, CA. Her focus is on trait discovery research in vegetable crops and support the development of disease resistant varieties. She also has expertise in seed health and plant disease diagnostics. Prior to moving to Syngenta, Padma worked as a senior scientist at California Seed and Plant Labs and Research Scientist at Monsanto Vegetable Seeds. She has a Ph.D. degree and in Plant Pathology from the University of Idaho and Post-doctoral research experience from the University of California, Davis.