She started working on plant pathogens at the University of Chicago, where she received her PhD in Ecology and Evolution in 2005. Her work on emerging plant pathogens began as a postdoctoral researcher working on Phytophthora ramorum with Nik Grünwald at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Corvallis, Oregon. The Goss lab uses genetic and genomic data to understand the ecology and evolution of populations of plant pathogens and plant-associated microbes. The long-term goal of her research is to better understand the factors that contribute to the emergence of destructive pathogens and their continued success as they evolve in new environments and on new hosts.