Marco is the Lead Plant Pathologist for Sakata Seed America at the Fort Myers, FL, Research Station, where his team provides pathology support to pepper, tomato, and watermelon breeding programs. He has worked on basic and applied aspects of plant pathology, and plant resistance breeding as well. Before joining Sakata in 2015, he was a Postdoctoral Scientist at USDA-ARS Dry Bean Breeding Program in Prosser, WA, working on genetic mapping and marker development for disease resistance loci.  Marco holds MS from Washington State University, and PhD from the University of California, Davis, both in Plant Pathology.