He is originally from the Midwest, where he received B.S. (Molecular Biology, 2005) and M.S. degrees (Plant Breeding and Genetics, 2008) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He then completed a Ph.D. program at CSU (Plant Genetics, 2011) that would develop into his current career area, known as Crops for Health. Crops for Health is a focus within HLA that explains relationships between plant genetics, agriculture and human health.