He is project co-director of "RosBREED" (www.rosbreed.org), a multi-disciplinary research initiative that began in 2009 to enable marker-assisted breeding for rosaceous crops including peach, apple, and cherry. The long-promised yet elusive goal of routine MAB has finally been achieved for these model temperate tree fruit crops, and lessons abound for similar horticultural crops. Genetic improvement of papaya can capitalize on these recent scientific advances.