Sarah Kostick

Sarah Kostick joined the University of Minnesota Apple Breeding Program as a postdoctoral associate under Dr. James Luby after completing her Ph.D. in Horticulture under Dr. Kate Evans at Washington State University. Kostick's Ph.D. dissertation work at Washington State University focused on phenotypic characterization and genetic dissection of resistance to fire blight in breeding relevant apple germplasm. While at the University of Minnesota, Kostick hopes to gain practical experience in various aspects of the breeding program. The goal of Kostick's research is to enable more efficient and effective use of DNA information (e.g., DNA tests) for important breeding targets (e.g., fruit quality traits) in breeding decisions. Some of Kostick's specific interests include quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis, haplotype analysis, and genomewide prediction. Kostick also helps manage the UMN apple breeding program.