Go where the science leads you

This article relates how my lifelong passion for nematology evolved and the philosophy that drove my research program, including maintaining a balance between applied and basic research, and key collaborations I have had with other researchers. Although the driving force behind my basic research was to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of nematode parasitism of plants, the underlying theme was how to apply the new basic knowledge of nematode biology to provide better control of these economically important crop pathogens in grower fields. There are high expectations that new nematode control strategies will result from science-based solutions that can be delivered through biotechnology-derived crops and provide an unprecedented opportunity for limiting nematode damage to multiple crops.