David Tork

David Tork is a researcher in the University of Minnesota Department of Horticultural Science studying the genetics of highbush cranberry Viburnum under the supervision of Dr. Alan Smith. He received his B.S. in Plant Science from the University of Minnesota in 2018, after which he began his graduate research under the guidance of Dr. Neil Anderson, where he worked to establish a novel perennial flax breeding program within the UMN Forever Green Initiative. After publishing ideotypes for ornamental, agronomic, and cut flower production, he procured germplasm, carried out field trials, and performed laboratory evaluations of cold hardiness and vase life in pursuit of these objectives. After receiving his M.S. in 2021, David worked as a Researcher for the perennial flax breeding program and the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate field crew. In June 2022 he joined Dr. Alan Smith’s lab, where he is working to develop a genetic test to distinguish American and Eurasian highbush cranberry.