Jeffrey Gordon
| Degree | Ph.D |
| Area of Interest | Plant Molecular Biology |
| Minor Fields | International Agriculture, Economics of Development |
| Chair | Chris Barrett |
| Committee Members | Chris Barrett, Molly Jahn (Plant Biology), Rebecca Nelson (International Agriculture) |
| Country of Origin | U.S.A. |
| Email Address | jsg54@cornell.edu |
| Contact Information | 128 Plant Science |
Jeff's research focuses on Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV), a devastating disease of tomato in tropical regions. Tomato breeding programs over the last twenty years have succesfully crossed wild relatives of tomato with modern cultivated varieties to yield tomato plants that can successfully resist TYLCV in the field. In the laboratory, Jeff is studying the genetics of this TYLCV-resistance trait to identify the genes involved and to characterize their functions at the molecular level. As a complement to this molecular work, Jeff is involved in the coordination of field trials of these new TYLCV-resistant tomato varieties throughout West Africa. As the trials draw to a close and the new varieties become available throughout West Africa, Jeff hopes to study poverty dynamics in relation to the adoption of improved varieties among tomato farmers in the region.
Jeff did his B.S. (Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology) at Yale
University, after which he spent two years studying plant-pathogen interactions
at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research. When he is not studying,
Jeff enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking, and baking bread.